Technology

China bans OpenClaw from government computers and issues security guidelines amid adoption frenzy — nation scrambles to rein in popular AI agent

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Mar 13, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

China has banned the use of OpenClaw on government computers due to security concerns, prompting the issuance of new guidelines by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's National Vulnerability Database. The AI agent, developed by Peter Steinberger, has gained popularity in China for automating various tasks but raises worries about potential cyber threats due to its broad access to user files. The People's Bank of China has also cautioned about AI in the financial sector. Despite restrictions, there is still policy support for OpenClaw, with subsidies being offered for its development in certain districts.

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China bans OpenClaw from government computers and issues security guidelines amid adoption frenzy — nation scrambles to rein in popular AI agent

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