US artificial intelligence company Anthropic has stepped up enforcement of geographical restrictions on Claude in Hong Kong. Starting Thursday, users who had accessed Claude through VPNs—virtual private networks that mask location—reported sudden account suspensions. One Hong Kong user who had used NordVPN for six months received an email from Anthropic's safeguards team citing "suspicious signals" and usage policy violations, with their account disabled and conversation history blocked from retrieval.
The enforcement wave appeared across social media platform X and Reddit as multiple accounts faced the same treatment after months of uninterrupted use.
Why this matters for Hong Kong and Singapore users
- Claude is not officially available in Hong Kong, forcing users to choose between no access or using VPNs at risk of suspension.
- Users attempting to bypass restrictions via VPN or foreign payment details now face account termination with no recovery option for saved data or conversation history.
- Singapore-based users routing through VPNs or using workarounds may face similar enforcement if Anthropic expands its geographical restrictions.
Before relying on Claude through a VPN
- Verify whether Claude is officially available in your location on Anthropic's website before setting up an account.
- Consider whether storing sensitive work or information on an account subject to suspension is safe, given data retrieval may be blocked.