Alibaba is set to ban employees from using Anthropic’s Claude Code in workplace environments starting July 10, according to sources cited by Reuters and repeated by multiple outlets. The reported reason is security concern over alleged embedded “backdoor” risks in the tool. One source familiar with the matter says the restriction applies to workplace use, rather than to all use by the broader public.
The timing comes shortly after public allegations involving Anthropic and operators linked to Alibaba’s Qwen lab. Those allegations, reported in recent coverage, describe a large distillation campaign targeting Claude. Despite that dispute, the latest reporting focuses on Alibaba’s internal policy decision and cites the same core justification: potential security exposure tied to Claude Code.
As of the reports, details about the specific evidence behind the alleged backdoor risk and whether the ban is temporary or indefinite are not provided in the available summaries. Alibaba’s decision is presented as an internal workplace security measure.
