Anthropic Announces Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy

Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, has announced significant updates to its Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy. These changes are designed to enhance the capability and safety of its AI models, such as Claude, by offering users more control over their data usage, according to Anthropic.

Data Usage and User Control

With the new updates, users of Anthropic's Claude Free, Pro, and Max plans can choose whether their data is used to improve AI models and strengthen safeguards against harmful activities. This option, however, does not extend to services under the company's Commercial Terms, such as Claude for Work or API usage through platforms like Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI.

Users are encouraged to participate in this initiative to help refine model safety and accuracy, particularly in detecting harmful content and improving coding, analysis, and reasoning skills. New users will make this choice during the signup process, while existing users will be prompted to select their preferences via an in-app notification.

Data Retention Policy

Anthropic is also extending its data retention period to five years for users who opt to allow their data to be utilized in model training. This extended retention is applicable only to new or resumed chats and coding sessions, allowing for better support in model development and safety improvements. Users who choose not to participate will continue under the existing 30-day data retention policy.

The company ensures that user privacy is protected through a combination of tools and automated processes to filter or obfuscate sensitive data. Importantly, Anthropic does not sell user data to third parties.

Existing users have until October 8, 2025, to accept the updated terms and make their preferences known. The new policies will become effective immediately upon acceptance and apply only to new or resumed interactions with Claude. Users can modify their privacy settings at any time through Anthropic's platform.

For further information on the updates, users are encouraged to visit the FAQ section provided by Anthropic.