China’s rush to install OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant that can perform tasks on users’ behalf, has flipped as paid services now offer to remove the agent after an initial installation surge.
On Alibaba’s Xianyu marketplace, a Shanghai-based seller named “mojito lime water” advertised “uninstall OpenClaw” services for about 299 yuan (US$43) and showed more than 10 completed transactions.
Zhou Hongyi, co-founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology, said more than 40% of nearly 150,000 OpenClaw-related assets identified worldwide were held in China, citing company data, and warned that intelligent agents with rights to execute tasks could create new attack vectors.
The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), which is under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), launched an initiative to develop standards for Claw agents to improve transparency, permissions, and behavioral reliability.
MIIT’s National Vulnerability Database advised users to use the latest official version, limit internet exposure, restrict permissions, and avoid third-party mirrors.
Several universities, including Jiangsu Normal and Anhui Normal, issued emergency notices warning against installation of OpenClaw on campus devices and networks, with some institutions ordering removal and others urging users to avoid it.
The warnings follow scenes of public queues for installations at locations such as Baidu’s offices earlier this week.
Originally written by: Diya Lal
Source: Tech In Asia
Published on: 13 March 2026
Link to original article: Chinese users pay to uninstall OpenClaw AI agent
