Is Otter safe for business data?
Otter Enterprise workspaces are opted out of AI model training by default; on other plans, Otter trains its own AI on de-identified recordings and transcripts, and a separate setting decides whether people may review your conversations.
Training, plan by plan
- Used for training: Accounts other than Enterprise: used, in de-identified form.
- Not used for training: Enterprise: not used by default.
What it does with your data
| Question | Accounts other than Enterprise | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Trains on your data by default? | Yes, in de-identified form. Otter’s privacy policy says it trains its own AI on de-identified audio recordings and on transcripts, which may contain personal information. The “Help improve Otter” setting separately controls whether Otter and its providers may access your conversations, including through human review. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: otter.ai | No, not by default. Otter says Enterprise workspaces are opted out of AI model training, and recordings, transcripts, and notes are not used to improve Otter’s global models or outside AI models. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: help.otter.ai |
| How long chats are kept | Otter keeps personal information as long as needed for the purposes in its policy, or as long as the law requires. Deleted conversations sit in the Trash for 30 days and are then permanently deleted. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: otter.ai | Enterprise admins can configure data retention policies, but the page we read does not give default periods. Not confirmed · page checked: help.otter.ai, October 23, 2026 |
| Who can read them | Only you and the people you choose to share with. Otter says its staff need your explicit consent before accessing a transcript or recording to troubleshoot. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: otter.ai | Admins can see conversation titles, not transcripts or audio, unless the owner shares them. Approved Enterprise customers can ask Otter to turn on Super Admin, which gives chosen admins view access to conversations across the workspace. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: help.otter.ai |
| Where data is stored | Otter’s privacy policy names Amazon Web Services, based in the United States, as its cloud provider for compute and data storage. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: otter.ai | Otter’s privacy policy names Amazon Web Services, based in the United States, as its cloud provider for compute and data storage. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: otter.ai |
| How to delete | Open the conversation, click the three-dot menu, and select Delete. It moves to the Trash for 30 days. To delete it at once, open Trash, click “Empty Trash Now,” then “Delete Forever.” Read on October 23, 2026 · source: help.otter.ai | Same steps as other plans, unless an admin has turned on “Disable Speech Deletion,” which stops everyone from permanently deleting recordings and transcripts. Read on October 23, 2026 · source: help.otter.ai |
How to turn training off
- Open Account Settings > Meetings, scroll to Feedback and Training, and set “Help improve Otter” to “Don’t allow sharing.” Source: help.otter.ai
- Empty the Trash after deleting a sensitive conversation. Otherwise it stays there for 30 days. Source: help.otter.ai
- On Enterprise, admins can turn on “Disable Speech Deletion” for legal holds, or turn off AI features they do not want. Source: help.otter.ai
Safer setup for a small team
Use an Otter Enterprise workspace for client calls. On other plans, set “Help improve Otter” to “Don’t allow sharing,” and tell people before Otter records.
Plan to approve: Otter Enterprise
Setting to check: “Help improve Otter” set to “Don’t allow sharing”
A line for your AI policy: Staff record calls with Otter only through our company workspace, and only after everyone on the call has been told. “Help improve Otter” stays set to “Don’t allow sharing.”
Want this in your team’s AI policy? The SafeStart kit, a plain-English AI policy and training for small teams, is coming soon.
Questions about your own setup? Write to hello@terrapilgrim.org.
What changed
No changes recorded since we first published this page on October 23, 2026. Every change goes in the change log.
Sources (5)
- otter.ai/privacy-policy · read on October 23, 2026
“training our proprietary AI technology on de-identified audio recordings and on transcriptions (which may contain Personal Information)”
- otter.ai/privacy-security · read on October 23, 2026
“Your conversations are always private, accessible to only you and the people you choose to share with.”
- help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047733414-Delete-a-conversation · read on October 23, 2026
“Conversation(s) will be moved to the Trash folder for 30 days.”
- help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/13352505516695-Enterprise-Admin-Contro… · read on October 23, 2026
“By default, Enterprise workspaces are opted out of AI model training.”
- help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42502859688087-Super-Admin-Guide · read on October 23, 2026
“The Super Admin feature is available only to approved Otter Enterprise customers and must be enabled by Otter upon request.”
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