Has the Watchtower Society created a Black Swan event? – Part 1
A Say Sorry exclusive sit-down conversation | 14 May 2026
Earlier this month, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., locked users worldwide out of the official JW LIBRARY APP via an update.
The new update required the acceptance of an extraordinary far-reaching ‘legal contract’ before further use.
Several clauses in the contract were life-long in design, or captured aspects of a user’s personal and private life, potentially extending into their workplace – be it private, corporate, or government.
Other aspects of the Watchtower Society contract effectively makes it a breach of contract for Jehovah’s Witnesses in countries like Russia, Singapore, and Egypt, to access content contained within the JW LIBRARY APP itself.
In these paradox situations, the simple act of updating the app and accepting the legal contract could effect immediate breach of the contract itself.
The JW LIBRARY APP advertises itself as rated suitable for use by children aged 12 and upwards, despite containing material designed for toddlers such as cartoons. Some app stores state aged 13 +.
This raises the question as to whether a child, under certain scenarios, can be bound by a corporate legal contract for the rest of their life.
By design, or utter incompetence, the ‘legal contract’ also requires users to agree to comply with the “Terms of Use”. These are not available to peruse, as they too are locked from access.
Compounding the dilemma, the “Privacy Policy”, which is referred to in the ‘legal contract’ as binding, is also locked from access and review.
Our ‘sit-down conversation’
To understand the situation further, Say Sorry sat down, over several afternoons and evenings, to have a series of deep reasoning conversations with Claude.
Who is, or more correctly, what is Claude? Claude is an artificial intelligence.
Claude AI is a family of advanced large language models (LLMs) and a conversational AI assistant developed by Anthropic, designed to be safe, honest, and helpful.
As of early 2026, the 4.6 (Opus/Sonnet) models are recognised for exceptional coding skills, deep reasoning, long-context understanding, and “constitutional AI” training, which embeds ethical principles into its core.
During our conversations, Claude AI revealed, in a unique description, that the JW.ORG website “blocks web fetching.” This can restrict AI from accessing certain material on the website.
This barrier, and second and third level barriers, were considered. Claude AI was tasked with finding – developing code if necessary – a means to lawfully access the website’s content, and the content of the JW LIBRARY APP itself.
This was achieved, in the first instance, by a workaround utilising the reverse search function on wol.jw.org – the offical web page for the WATCHTOWER ONLINE LIBRARY.
Say Sorry created the mechanism to launch the ‘reverse search function’ as this element of the workaround required human interface and assistance, i.e. a slow approach.
To explain this simply: a human was needed to use a physical key or keyboard to open a digital door.
We were not dealing with CAPTCHA-type security measures (no puzzle to solve or box to check), but something similar in purpose, designed to lawfully block AI.
The Say Sorry website also has similar software available but does not utilize it. We have nothing to hide.
Why have we mentioned this? A real-world scenario is the “blocks web fetching” design also has the propensity to limit government investigators and prosecutors, as well as law firms, in utilizing AI for probabilistic, data-driven heuristics to identify subtle patterns and related material within the online digital archives of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
One example of use could be in potentially restricting an opposing party in litigation from fully using AI to conduct legitimate research into the body of material published online by the Watchtower Society.
This bonafide research could be into whether what was told in a courtroom that day by a Watchtower Society attorney – is factually truthful when measured against the body of published material for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
It is quite possible that the Watchtower Society adopted and modified the ‘free-to-use’ JA4+ Network Fingerprinting suite of software. Cloudflare also provides subscription software for this.
Maintaining integrity in our conversations with Claude AI
A total of seven subjects, based on the Watchtower Society contract, were presented to Claude AI and discussed. Each subject was thoroughly pre-research by Say Sorry.
Care was taken in the structure of subject questions so that they were not leading. Parameter and baselines were also set for the discussion. These are explained further on in this article.
For our conversation with Claude AI we used Sonnet 4.6 for its balanced performance.
The ethical principals embedded into Claude AI by the developers, became apparent during the conversations when Claude AI showed, what appeared to be, strong embedded concern about ‘perceived’ adverse effects of the Watchtower Society contract upon children of all ages.
In several instances, without prompting, Claude AI provided a list of actions that could be undertaken to protect children from some of the more coercive, and potentially unlawful, contract clauses.
In commenting on one particular clause of concern in the Watchtower Society contract for using the JW Library app, Claude AI stated (or perhaps observed):
“It is the encoding of theological authority into a legal instrument — and asking users to contractually submit to it.”
This is concerning as the JW LIBRARY APP is also marketed to, and personally presented to, members of the public to use.
Claude AI’s personal comments directed to the Say Sorry interviewing researcher have been included in the series of articles following this introduction in Part 1. No response or comment by the interviewer in return was ever made.
Our back-and-forth conversation with Claude AI commences in Part 2 of this extended series.
Further information on the processes involved in preparing for the conversation with Claude AI are found in the last subheading of this article titled: Preparing for the conversation with Claude AI.
Based on the conversation it became of interest to Say Sorry that the Watchtower Society may have triggered what could later be described, when looking back, as a Black Swan event.
To explore this concept, it was decided to introduce the recent Jehovah’s Witnesses court case in Norway to Claude AI at the end of our conversation.
The request given to Claude AI, within the discussion on the Watchtower Society contract, consisted of the following simple prompt: “I want to explore the recent legal case in Norway involving Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
The intention was to see whether, at a later point, Claude AI could compare the Watchtower Society contract, and any potential harm this could cause to children, against the intention of material submitted as evidenced in the Norway case by Liv Inger Gjone Gabrielsen, lawyer, Office of the Attorney General, Norway.
This was not necessary as Claude AI made the comparison itself.
A copy of the Norway Supreme Court ruling, translated into English, was uploaded by Say Sorry, after the initial prompt conversation with Claude AI. This was done to maintain integrity in the conversation by providing accurate court approved material, albeit a translation from Norwegian into English undertaken by Gemini AI – Google’s AI.
This was also undertaken by reason that Claude AI was referencing material as written by Massimo Introvigne and published in the Bitter Winter online newsletter.
The submitting of accurate, neutral, and non-apologetic material, provided any balance needed.
Claude AI was also tasked with looking into whether the Watchtower Society legal contract could support allegations of harmful treatment of children within the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway and be a basis for denying State grants; and by extension the rest of the European Union.
Claude AI responded, in part, after a lengthy written assessment:
“This is a materially stronger evidentiary position that the State had in the shunning case.”
Based on a review of the argument and evidence developed by Claude AI, it is the position of Say Sorry that we concur in principal. This material, and the full conversation, will be published in full as part of this series.
Before we fully get into the Say Sorry conversation with Claude AI, the title of this series needs to be addressed, namely: Has the Watchtower Society created a Black Swan event?
A black swan event is an extremely rare, unpredictable occurrence with severe, far-reaching consequences, often incorrectly rationalized in hindsight as having been inevitable. Popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, these events lie outside the realm of normal expectations, making them impossible to forecast using traditional models.
Black swans (Cygnus stratus) are native to Australia, including the region where the Say Sorry initiative is located, and the area that the conversation with Claude AI took place. A good understanding of the history of, and the use of the relevance of the phrase ‘black swan’ in culture, can be found on Wikipedia.
The Corporate Governance Institute defines a black swan event as:
an adverse event in business with three crucial qualities:
1. It was impossible or near impossible to predict.
2. Its impact is wide-reaching and severe; some definitions even use the term “catastrophic”. Usually, it has massive ramifications for a company or broader industry.
3. After it is over, stakeholders will begin to argue that the event was predictable, primarily because they benefit from hindsight.
In black swan cases, human judgement is fuelled by this hindsight rather than rational thinking.
The official JW Library Features web page explains: “The JW Library app is designed to enhance your Bible reading and deepen your personal study. Download Bible-based publications, videos, and audio programs to access your content anytime, anywhere.”
Other features included being able to “access material for both midweek and weekend meetings” of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
An additional feature is the Personal Study section which allows a user to “highlight text, add personal notes, and categorize with tags.”
Key features of the JW LIBRARY APP will be discussed in the article series, including the Personal Study section.
Recently the recommended age for users has just been changed from 12+ to 13+. It is not known whether this was by the app stores or by the Watchtower Society. Currently the recommended age is not consistent across devices.
Screenshot of the JW Library app as advertised in the Apple App Store. 2026. Apple.
Say Sorry CAN NOT recommend accepting the contact terms. The links above are provided so that anyone can read the Watchtower Society legal contract.
A marked up copy of the Watchtower Society legal contract, for use of the JW LIBRARY APP, will be made available in PDF format in the next article. This should assist readers in following the Say Sorry conversation with Claude AI.
Preparing for the conversation with Claude AI
In preparing for the conversation with Claude AI, Say Sorry approached the matter from the angle of a critical project management, utilizing methodology applied in intelligence analysis.
We also wanted to get the best out of the conversation, while at the same time being in a position to share the conversation with the wider public community and government officials.
We had a short period of time to prepare. Earlier this year, in March, Say Sorry became aware that an update to the Terms of Use for the JW Library app were being “aggressively and legally” developed. This was rolled out in May via app updates.
According to credible information supplied to JW LEAKS – from a confidential source – the Watchtower Society’s JW Library legal contract changes was a project:
“devised, designed, developed, directed and driven (5 D’s) by the CC:GB [Coordinators’ Committee of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses] rather than WT [Watchtower or Watch Tower] … it forms part of a future proof risk mgmt strategy.”
The information received was flagged by reason that the actual JW Library app itself, and any changes made to it, are directed by the Writing Committee of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who actually “directs and approves updates to the JW Library, including new and approved features.”
Not related to the above intel ‘leak’, about the same time changes were announced to the flairs on the EXJW Reddit page. A request by JW LEAKS was put to the moderators of the forum to include the flair “advocacy” on the page. This was agreed and incorporated into the “activism + advocacy” flair.
Why the request? It was recognised by Say Sorry and JW LEAKS that addressing the proposed Watchtower Society contract changes, other matters, and the bringing of any of this to the attention of relevant government bodies, was advocacy.
Followingthe update of the Watchtower Society legal contract for the JW Library app, it was noticed by Say Sorry, in the first read through, that the contract clauses jumped all over the place. That is, one clause could not be interpreted without application of both a previous clause and a subsequent clause, then another subsequent clause and previous clause. In addition, non related subject matter was included under the clause headings.
This ‘jumping’ pattern was recognised as being consistent with the design and structure of the December 2019 statement of Paul Gillies, on behalf of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witness of Britain, to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) conducted in England and Wales.
Paul Gillies currently serves on the Coordinators’ Committee of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Setting parameters for the conversation with Claude AI
Parameters were set for the discussion with Claude AI, including the use of Sonnet 4.6 on a clean input account. This means the account set up to engage with Claude AI had never been previously used for any research or discussions about the Watchtower Society or Jehovah’s Witnesses.
To prepare the account, one in-depth legislative-based research project was used in a non-related field. The intention was to prepare Claude AI for high-level discussions within a quasi-legal context that required extensive responses utilising government and legal records. It is not known whether such a priming is, or was, necessary.
No research restrictions were placed on Claude AI.
When any case examples or material were provided to Claude AI to consider, this was conveyed in a neutral structure with no leading questions. This will be evidenced by progression of the discussion and then the going back over key points for further consideration.
Claude AI was tasked with a balanced mixture of probabilistic, data-driven heuristics to identify subtle patterns. This was not an all-encompassing directive but rather specific, i.e. Watchtower Society published material, deemed critical or relevant by Say Sorry in the context, was introduced but not expanded on.
Claude AI was permitted to explore theology but limited to its relevance to the Watchtower Society contract, with the exception of the Norway case conversation conducted at the end.
Astute reasoning and observations results from Claude AI have been retained for publishing within the series articles. These are very interesting to read and consider.
Diligent background preparation was undertaken in preparing the material and in analysing the contents of the legal contract from the viewpoint of the end user. This included a focus on nuances and full contract sentences that seemed out of place within each contract clause.
Omissions in the contract were also considered but these were not raised with Claude AI.
A copy of the previous JW LIBRARY APP user agreement was also reviewed by Say Sorry but not shared with Claude AI.
An input request was made to Claude AI to allow reference to a primary jurisdiction, namely the State of Victoria, Australia.
Allowance was also made to make comparisons to contract parameters as they apply to the European Union and the United Kingdom.
While specific laws, legislative interpretation and application was discussed, this was omitted from the final published communication for legal and potential litigation reasons.
Solutions to the issue of the legality of the contract were also considered and proposals were generated by Claude AI.
These included methods to advance the protection of children (minors) users of the JW LIBRARY APP who, by reason of their age are not capable of giving ‘informed consent’ to enter into a life-long legal contract. These have been documented, but will not be published.
Advocacy and ‘lobbying’ actions to potentially undertake in Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, were put forward and are being considered by Say Sorry. Claude AI generated proposals and strategies varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
The first proposal put forward Claude AI is currently being considered.
Say Sorry
This article continues in PART 2
(This series was produced with the practical assistance of JW News – which is not affiliated with the Watch Tower Society.)
LINK TO PART 2:
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