- Anthropic removed hidden tracking markers from Claude Code after researchers discovered code used to identify some Chinese users.
- The company said the experiment was intended to prevent account abuse and detect possible AI model distillation.
- The discovery comes as Anthropic pushes lawmakers to crack down on unauthorized copying of frontier AI models.
Security researcher “Thereallo” recently discovered that Anthropic had embedded hidden tracking markers in Claude Code’s system prompts to identify users’ location, proxy use, and possible links to Chinese AI labs. The company subsequently removed the feature after public scrutiny. Anthropic engineer Thariq Shihipar wrote on X that the markers were an experimental measure introduced in March to detect unauthorized resellers and prevent model distillation attacks. He confirmed the team had since deployed stronger mitigations and merged a pull request to fully roll back the tracking.
Meanwhile, the revelation has intensified debate around AI model distillation, where one system’s outputs train another model. Alibaba earlier this month banned employees from using Claude Code, calling it “high-risk” software over security concerns. Anthropic has previously accused Chinese AI developers of using fraudulent accounts to extract millions of Claude responses, and CEO Dario Amodei has urged Congress to strengthen protections against foreign extraction. Critics have questioned how the practice differs from industry-wide methods, but Anthropic maintains that preventing unauthorized distillation is a national security priority.
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