Common Privacy Concerns with Meeting AI
Data Leakage & LLM Training
AI meeting assistants use large language model (LLM) technology, and your data may be passed to these models for training purposes without your explicit knowledge.
AI notetakers capture everything - sensitive business discussions, intellectual property details, customer information, strategic plans, and even casual conversations.
This data is typically processed on third-party servers with varying levels of security controls, creating potential exposure of confidential information.
Biometric Data Collection
A 2025 lawsuit filed in Illinois federal court alleges that AI meeting assistants are illegally harvesting and storing individuals' biometric voice data without their knowledge or consent.
Tools offering transcription and speaker identification on platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams may be collecting biometric identifiers without proper disclosure.
Shadow AI & Governance Risks
Many AI notetakers enter organizations not through careful IT evaluation, but through individual users signing up with their work email addresses.
Many AI notetakers are offered by startups that prioritize growth over security maturity, resulting in inadequate security measures and unclear data retention policies.
Security Features to Look For
Essential Security Certifications
Primary Certifications
- SOC 2 Type II - Operational security controls
- ISO 27001 - Information security management
- GDPR Compliance - EU data protection
- HIPAA Compliance - Healthcare data protection
Additional Standards
- SOC 3 - Public trust certification
- CCPA Compliance - California privacy
- FERPA - Educational records protection
- FedRAMP - US government cloud security
Technical Security Features
Encryption
- End-to-end encryption
- TLS 1.3 in transit
- AES-256 at rest
- Zero-knowledge options
Access Controls
- Multi-factor authentication
- Role-based permissions
- SSO integration
- Audit logging
Data Protection
- Data residency controls
- Automated deletion
- Data export options
- Backup encryption
Data Protection Best Practices
For Organizations
Assess and implement a single, governed AI meeting assistant to mitigate risks, focusing on data usage, retention periods, and vendor agreements.
Implement clear procedures to inform participants when recordings or AI processing occur, with redundant safeguards for late joiners or hybrid participants.
When possible, choose solutions that process data within your existing infrastructure and avoid unnecessary reliance on third-party services or recording bots.
Periodically review what AI tools employees are using and assess their security posture and data handling practices.
For Individual Users
Confirm whether the tool uses your meeting data for AI model training and opt out if possible. Zoom, for example, states it does not use customer content for AI training.
Before using any AI meeting tool, read the privacy policy to understand how your data is collected, used, stored, and shared.
Consider disabling AI features for highly confidential meetings involving trade secrets, M&A discussions, or sensitive personal matters.
Avoid signing up for AI meeting tools with your work email without IT approval, as this creates shadow AI risks.
Compliance Considerations
GDPR & European Regulations
The European Union and its member states, particularly Germany and France, offer stronger privacy protections in the workplace. Key requirements include:
Data Subject Rights
- Right to access personal data
- Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
- Right to data portability
- Right to object to processing
Organizational Requirements
- Data Protection Impact Assessments
- Lawful basis for processing
- Data minimization principles
- Cross-border transfer restrictions
HIPAA & Healthcare Compliance
Healthcare organizations must ensure AI meeting tools meet HIPAA requirements when Protected Health Information (PHI) may be discussed:
- Business Associate Agreements (BAA) required
- End-to-end encryption mandatory
- Access controls and audit logging
- Data retention and destruction policies
- Minimum necessary data principle
- Patient authorization requirements
- Breach notification procedures
- Staff training documentation
Recording Consent Laws
Noncompliance with recording laws can lead to criminal liability and civil damages. More than 400 cases related to unlawful recordings have been filed in California alone.
Two-Party Consent States
California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington require all parties to consent to recording.
One-Party Consent States
Most other states only require one party to consent, but best practice is to always notify all participants when AI recording is active.
How to Evaluate AI Meeting Tool Security
Security Evaluation Checklist
Data Handling Questions
- Where is meeting data stored geographically?
- Who has access to meeting recordings and transcripts?
- Is meeting data used for AI model training? Can you opt out?
- What is the data retention period? Can it be customized?
- How is data deletion handled when you terminate service?
Security & Compliance Questions
- What security certifications does the vendor hold (SOC 2, ISO 27001)?
- Can the vendor provide recent SOC 2 Type II audit reports?
- What encryption standards are used in transit and at rest?
- Is end-to-end encryption available?
- What is the incident response and breach notification process?
Privacy & Control Questions
- How are meeting participants notified of AI recording?
- Can users opt out of transcription and analysis?
- Is there granular control over what data is collected?
- Can data be exported in a portable format?
- Is there a dedicated Data Protection Officer or privacy contact?
What Major Institutions Say
Harvard University Guidance
Harvard University has stated that AI meeting assistants should not be used in Harvard meetings, with the exception of approved tools with contractual protections as outlined in their guidelines.
Zoom AI Companion Policy
Zoom has announced that it does not use any customer audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments, or other communications-like customer content to train Zoom's or its third-party artificial intelligence models.
Privacy-Focused AI Meeting Tools
| Tool | SOC 2 | GDPR | HIPAA | No AI Training |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Yes | Yes | BAA Available | Yes |
| Sembly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Krisp AI | Yes | Yes | Limited | Local Processing |
| Fireflies.ai | Yes | Yes | BAA Available | Opt-out Available |
| Otter.ai | Yes | Partial | Limited | Unclear |
