🤔 Why Privacy Policies Matter for Meeting AI
Meeting AI tools capture some of your most sensitive business conversations - sales negotiations, HR discussions, strategic planning sessions, and confidential client calls. Understanding how these tools handle, store, and potentially use your data is critical for protecting your organization.
With the EU AI Act becoming fully applicable in August 2026 and Colorado's Algorithmic Accountability Law effective February 2026, privacy compliance is no longer optional. Organizations face potential fines of up to 7% of global annual turnover for non-compliance under EU regulations.
🔑 Key Privacy Considerations
🌍 Data Storage Location
Where your meeting recordings and transcripts are physically stored affects which privacy laws apply
⏱️ Data Retention Periods
How long providers keep your data after you stop using the service or delete your account
🤖 AI Model Training
Whether your meeting data is used to improve the provider's AI models or shared with third parties
🔐 Encryption Standards
How your data is protected both during transmission and while stored on servers
🗑️ Deletion Rights
Your ability to permanently delete all your data, including backups, upon request
🔥 Fireflies.ai Privacy Policy
Fireflies maintains one of the strongest privacy positions in the industry:
- ✓0-day data retention policy - third-party vendors do not store your data after processing
- ✓Meeting content (audio, video, transcripts, summaries) is never used to train any AI models
- ✓Zero data retention extends to all partners including OpenAI and Anthropic
- ✓End-to-end encryption using 256-bit AES at rest and 256-bit SSL/TLS in transit via AWS S3
- ✓GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA certified
🦦 Otter.ai Privacy Policy
Otter takes a different approach to data handling:
- •Trains proprietary AI on de-identified audio recordings using a proprietary method
- •Transcriptions may contain Personal Information and are used for training
- •Training is automatic - audio recordings are not manually reviewed by humans
- ✓Customer data is NOT used to train third-party AI Service Provider models
- ✓Training data is encrypted and protected
- ✓SOC 2 Type 2 certified with independent security verification
📊 Other Meeting AI Privacy Approaches
Fathom: Fathom: SOC 2 compliant with strong privacy protections. No third-party data sharing for AI training.
Grain: Grain: Keeps your data private and does not train AI models on customer conversations.
tl;dv: tl;dv: GDPR compliant with EU data processing. Offers data portability and deletion rights.
Sembly: Sembly: SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA options available. Enterprise-grade data protection.
⚖️ Legal Considerations for AI Notetakers
Meeting AI tools face increasing legal scrutiny under privacy laws:
- ⚠️AI notetakers are becoming entangled in high-stakes litigation under federal and state wiretapping laws
- ⚠️Otter.ai has faced lawsuits alleging unlawful recording, storage, and use of conversations without proper consent
- ⚠️Even tools that only transcribe (not store) audio may fall within the scope of privacy statutes
- ⚠️Many state laws like CIPA and BIPA demand clear consent from all parties for any recording
🌐 Regulatory Landscape 2025-2026
🇪🇺 EU AI Act
Fully applicable August 2, 2026. Prohibits harmful manipulation and requires risk assessments for high-impact AI systems. Non-compliance triggers fines up to 7% of global annual turnover.
🏔️ Colorado Algorithmic Accountability Law
Effective February 2026. Applies to AI making employment, healthcare, or education decisions. Consumers gain rights to notice, explanation, correction, and appeal.
🇬🇧 UK Data (Use and Access) Act
Royal Assent June 2025. Modernizes data processing for AI tools with updated cookie rules and consent requirements effective throughout first half of 2026.
🛡️ GDPR Enforcement
Continues strong enforcement with data sovereignty becoming the dominant paradigm. EU Data Act effective September 2025 extends user rights to industrial data.
📈 Data Retention Comparison
How long do meeting AI tools keep your data?
| Tool | Retention Policy | Deletion Rights | Third-Party Sharing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies | 0-day with third parties | ✅ Full deletion available | ✅ No data sharing for AI training |
| Otter.ai | Configurable by user | ✅ Available on request | ✅ Internal training only |
| Fathom | User-controlled | ✅ Full deletion available | ✅ No training on user data |
| Grain | User-managed | ✅ Available | ✅ Data kept private |
✅ Privacy Best Practices for Organizations
Protect your organization when using meeting AI tools:
- 1.Review privacy policies before deployment - understand data handling, retention, and training practices
- 2.Implement consent protocols - ensure all meeting participants are aware of AI recording
- 3.Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for AI tool implementations
- 4.Configure retention policies - set automatic deletion schedules aligned with compliance requirements
- 5.Limit access controls - restrict who can view transcripts and recordings within your organization
- 6.Enable audit logging - maintain records of all data access for compliance verification
- 7.Plan exit strategies - understand how to export and delete data if you switch providers
❓ Questions to Ask Your Meeting AI Provider
Before selecting a meeting AI tool, get answers to these critical questions:
- ?Where is my data physically stored, and can I choose the region?
- ?Is my meeting content used to train your AI models or shared with third parties?
- ?How long do you retain my data after I delete my account?
- ?What encryption standards do you use for data at rest and in transit?
- ?Can I request complete deletion of all my data, including backups?
- ?What is your breach notification policy and timeline?
- ?What compliance certifications do you hold (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA)?
🌍 Cross-Border Data Considerations
Data sovereignty is replacing borderless data flows as the dominant paradigm:
- •Governments worldwide mandate local data storage and restrict cross-border transfers
- •US DOJ data rule (effective April 2025) prohibits sharing sensitive data with countries of concern
- •Compliance requires mandatory programs, due diligence, auditing, and 10-year recordkeeping
- •Choose tools that offer regional data centers and EU/US data residency options
