Swedish Government Institutions Block ChatGPT and Claude

Swedish government agencies will block ChatGPT and Claude on work computers starting October 26 due to information security concerns. The only approved tool will remain Microsoft Copilot, which has passed verification. This was reported by Sveriges Radio. Mikael Wetterkrantz, Director of Digitalization at the Government Office, noted on the internal portal that using AI services without an official contract could have "consequences for our information security." "We have seen several examples of problematic use of open AI services," he added.

Consumer AI tools send requests to external company servers, and US legislation allows authorities to demand this data. A security agreement defines what the provider can do with employee data, so the distinction between a verified corporate contract and an open tool is crucial. Copilot is approved because its settings were tightened after verification, which was not done for ChatGPT and Claude. However, some employees can still access both blocked tools through the government's internal AI platform; the press service did not specify the scope and limitations.

The Swedish Tax Agency and the National Board of Institutional Care have already implemented similar bans. The Enforcement Authority, responsible for debt collection and enforcement of court decisions, is preparing its own decision. An internal audit by the Transport Administration found that about 10 AI services are used there – "widely and riskily." In February, the European Parliament disabled AI functions on all work devices, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot, concluding that it was impossible to guarantee data security. European governments' concerns have been growing since the ban on ChatGPT in Italy in 2023. Now Sweden is taking a narrower line than Brussels.

Meanwhile, Microsoft included Claude models in Copilot at the beginning of 2026. In the EU, Anthropic models are disabled by default and require administrator activation. The Government Office did not confirm whether Claude is included in its instance of Copilot, meaning the distinction between "banned" and "approved" tools is not as clear-cut as the announcement suggests.