Prohibited Psychological Manipulation and Harmful Content

What it is

Do Not Create Psychologically or Emotionally Harmful Content

Why it matters

The prohibition on psychological manipulation directly mirrors EU AI Act Art. 5(1)(a) prohibited practices for subliminal manipulation — making this provision one of the strongest alignment points between Anthropic's AUP and emerging hard law.

Consumer impact

Anthropic's Usage Policy affects all users by establishing clear boundaries on how Claude can be used, with real consequences including throttling, suspension, or permanent termination of access for violations. The policy's active monitoring by a dedicated Safeguards Team means user inputs may be reviewed, and CSAM-related violations will be reported to law enforcement. You can report harmful, biased, or inaccurate AI outputs directly to usersafety@anthropic.com or via the thumbs-down feedback button in Anthropic's products.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.

Delete Your Data

If you believe Claude has been used to psychologically manipulate or emotionally harm you, report the specific interaction to usersafety@anthropic.com with details of the content or behavior experienced.

Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC enforces against dark patterns and psychological manipulation in digital products under FTC Act Section 5 unfair and deceptive practices authority.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Anthropic Usage Policy

Entity

Anthropic

Document last updated

March 24, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

March 6, 2026

Last verified

April 4, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-002140

Document ID

CA-D-00013

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://www.anthropic.com/legal/aup

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

fe6f60bf15130bb0c59c7054ad8111501f08769394cd72b598d456d524e13f2e

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Anthropic | Document: Anthropic Usage Policy | Record: CA-P-002140
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:36:08 UTC | SHA-256: fe6f60bf15130bb0…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/anthropic/anthropic-usage-policy/prohibited-psychological-manipulation-and-harmful-content/
Accessed: April 4, 2026

Classification

Severity

Medium