US Restricts Access to Anthropic Models via Export Controls

The US Department of Commerce has ordered Anthropic to restrict foreign nationals' access to two new AI models, resulting in a de facto global service shutdown due to the impossibility of verifying citizenship.

Compiled by Sergey KostenchukPublished 2026-06-17Updated 2026-06-17

2026-06-17 Safety Anthropic

🛡 US Applies Export Controls Against AI Models

The US Department of Commerce has ordered Anthropic to restrict access to two new AI models for foreign nationals. Due to the lack of tools for mass citizenship verification, this has led to a de facto global shutdown of access to these models.

🌍 The precedent of using export controls against AI creates legal uncertainty and the risk of arbitrary technology shutdowns without clear standards. This could lead to market fragmentation and changes in access management approaches.

👤 Developers and users may face sudden access restrictions to the latest models due to geopolitics, even if they are not under sanctions, as verifying the nationality of every user is technically complex.

Source 1: https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/06/16/americas-ai-kill-switch-has-no-rules-lawfare/

Sources