Alibaba, the Chinese technology giant behind companies like Alibaba Group and Taobao Marketplace, has banned its employees from using a top secret blockchain tool known as Claude Code. The company's internal research team developed the tool in 2018 to enable secure financial transactions, but it was deemed too risky for widespread use.
According to sources close to the matter, the Chinese government had been monitoring Alibaba's activities and was concerned about the potential threat that Claude Code posed to national security. As a result, Alibaba has taken steps to shut down its internal tests of the tool, which were reportedly being used by developers on the company's internal network. The ban is thought to be aimed at preventing any potential misuse or leaks of sensitive information.
The move highlights the increasingly stringent regulatory environment in China, where companies must navigate complex laws and regulations when developing cutting-edge technologies. While it remains unclear what specific concerns Alibaba had about Claude Code, sources suggest that it may have been related to the tool's potential for being used to compromise state data or disrupt critical infrastructure.