📊 Data Retention Policies by Tool
| Tool | Free Plan Retention | Paid Plan Retention | Custom Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies.ai | 12 months | Unlimited | ✅ Enterprise |
| Otter.ai | Limited | Customizable | ✅ Business/Enterprise |
| Zoom AI Companion | Per account settings | Per account settings | ✅ Zero retention option |
| Jamie AI | Audio deleted after processing | Transcripts stored | ⚠️ Limited |
| tl;dv | Unlimited storage | Unlimited storage | ✅ Enterprise |
Important Note
Fireflies.ai maintains a 0-day data retention policy with their transcription and LLM vendors, meaning your data is not stored or used for AI training by third parties.
🇪🇺 Your Rights Under GDPR
Right to Erasure (Article 17)
- ✓Request deletion of all your personal data at any time
- ✓Data must be deleted "without undue delay"
- ✓Applies to meeting recordings, transcripts, and summaries
- ✓Companies must provide easy deletion mechanisms
Right to Access (Article 15)
- ✓View all data the company holds about you
- ✓Know how long data will be stored
- ✓Understand who has access to your data
- ✓Download your data in portable format
Data Minimization (Article 5)
- ✓Companies can only collect data they actually need
- ✓Data must not be kept longer than necessary
- ✓Outdated or irrelevant data must be deleted or anonymized
📁 What Data Gets Stored?
🎙️ Audio/Video Files
- •Often deleted immediately after transcription
- •Some tools retain for 30 days for quality checks
- •Zoom's third-party AI retains up to 30 days
- •Enterprise plans often offer zero audio retention
📝 Transcripts & Summaries
- •Usually stored for user access indefinitely
- •Can be manually deleted by users
- •Enterprise tools offer automatic expiration
- •Trash items auto-delete after 30 days
👤 Account & Usage Data
- •Email, name, and billing information
- •Login history and session data
- •Feature usage analytics
- •Retained until account deletion
🔗 Integration Data
- •Calendar access tokens
- •CRM sync data and contacts
- •Workspace connection credentials
- •Revocable through account settings
🛡️ Data Security Best Practices
For Individuals
- • Regularly review and delete old meeting recordings
- • Use tools with clear data deletion options
- • Enable automatic transcript expiration when available
- • Choose EU-based providers for GDPR-compliant processing
- • Review privacy policies before signing up
For Organizations
- • Implement organization-wide retention policies
- • Use enterprise plans with custom data controls
- • Conduct regular data audits and cleanup
- • Train employees on data handling procedures
- • Ensure DPA (Data Processing Agreement) is in place
- • Choose tools with SOC 2 Type II certification
When Deleting Your Account
- • Request full data export before deletion
- • Confirm deletion timeline (usually within 30 days)
- • Revoke all third-party integrations first
- • Check if backups are also deleted
- • Get written confirmation of data deletion
⚙️ Automated Compliance Features
Modern AI meeting tools increasingly offer automated compliance features to help organizations meet regulatory requirements:
Automatic Retention Management
- • Policy-based data expiration
- • Category-specific retention rules
- • Automated deletion workflows
- • Compliance reporting dashboards
Access Control Automation
- • Role-based permission enforcement
- • Need-to-know access principles
- • Audit trail generation
- • Automatic access revocation
📅 2025-2026 Regulatory Updates
- 📋GDPR Simplification: The European Commission is expected to propose GDPR simplifications by June 2025, focusing on reducing record-keeping burdens for SMEs.
- 🔍Increased Audits: Regulators are prioritizing data retention and minimization audits, targeting companies that keep data without clear justification.
- 🤖AI-Specific Guidelines: The European Data Protection Board has shared opinions on using AI in GDPR compliance, with emphasis on training data retention limits.
- 📊Article 22 Enforcement: Stricter enforcement of automated decision-making rules, requiring human oversight for AI-based systems.
❓ Questions to Ask Your Provider
- 1.How long do you retain meeting recordings and transcripts?
- 2.Can I set custom retention periods for my organization?
- 3.Is my data used to train your AI models?
- 4.What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?
- 5.Where is my data stored geographically?
- 6.Do you have a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) available?
- 7.What third-party processors have access to my data?
- 8.How do I request complete data deletion?