Sweden Blocks ChatGPT and Claude on Government Computers From Today, Copilot Only Approved

Sweden's Government Offices will block ChatGPT and Claude on staff computers from today, Monday, October 26, directing civil servants to Microsoft Copilot instead. The browser versions of both chatbots will no longer be reachable on work computers across the Prime Minister's Office and the ministries, a move first reported by Sveriges Radio and confirmed by the Government Offices in an email to broadcaster SVT.

The reason given is information security. Digitalisation director Mikael Wettercrantz wrote on the staff intranet that using AI services without a formal agreement can have consequences for information security, pointing to examples of problematic use involving both sensitive information entered into open services and the way AI-generated answers were handled. Copilot, by contrast, was reviewed first and its security settings tightened, and what sets it apart is the contract and control over its settings rather than the model itself.

The block is not a total ban on the underlying technology. Staff can still reach OpenAI and Anthropic models through Intric, an internal platform used across the ministries. Other Swedish authorities have already taken similar steps, with the Tax Agency and the National Board of Institutional Care blocking the services and the Enforcement Authority preparing its own decision. An internal audit at the Transport Administration reportedly found around 10 AI services in widespread and risky use, a warning sign that governments everywhere are now wrestling with how to use AI without leaking their own secrets.

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