[ElProlactin]

Differential application of the law has been a part of American society for a very long time. I suppose you could argue that it's more brazen and accepted (or even celebrated in some cases) these days, but that could also be a function of people just being more willing to see it because America's reputation/standing in the world is in decline.

[rglullis]

Right, but do you agree then this explains why people are not willing to give their identity details to a company, even if the company is able to deduct/obtain these details through other means if it wanted?

[ElProlactin]

No. I really don't see the connection in this instance.

Many companies are required by law to verify the identities of their customers (for money laundering, sanctions compliance, etc.) and to do so in a certain way they can document.

Thinking that the US is a Banana Republic in which laws are applied differentially doesn't inherently mean that every rule that requires you to go through a process you don't like is unfair/unjust.

[rglullis]

It's not a matter of being "unfair", it's a matter of people not trusting the institutions.

[ElProlactin]

And? Yes, people have good reason to not trust institutions these days. But does not trusting institutions mean that you no longer have to comply with the rules, or that every rule is not based on a legitimate concern?

[rglullis]

> not trusting institutions mean that you no longer have to comply with the rules

Not if you can avoid it, no.

> every rule is not based on a legitimate concern?

This particular rule is not based on a legitimate concern.

[ElProlactin]

> This particular rule is not based on a legitimate concern.

Well, there are multiple legitimate reasons for Anthropic to ask some customers to do identity verification:

1. To comply with export controls.

2. To prevent abuse.

3. To process requests for increased usage or spend limits.

4. To defend against payment fraud.

This really isn't uncommon. I've been asked to do identity verification for something as innocuous as registering a domain name, setting up an account to bid on collectibles, etc.

If you've ever worked in ecommerce, payments or a related sector, you know how many bad actors are trying to game systems every single day and what the consequences are to the business if they succeed. Even when you're not dealing with non-negotiable compliance requirements (like KYC, export controls, etc.), there are lots of situations in which you'd have a reasonable need to establish that the people you're serving are who they say they are.