AI tool privacy · Otter.ai
Otter and your company’s data
By David Michaelson, MS Last checked October 23, 2026
The short answer
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.
Safer setup: 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 by plan
Each answer comes from Otter.ai’s own policy or help pages, with the link and the date we read it. Setting names are quoted exactly as Otter.ai writes them.
We could not confirm 1 answer on Otter.ai’s own pages. That answer says so in plain words and links to the page we checked.
| 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 your data is 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. Page checked: help.otter.ai, October 23, 2026 |
| Who can see it | 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 |
Safer setup, step by step
- Open Account Settings > Meetings, scroll to Feedback and Training, and set “Help improve Otter” to “Don’t allow sharing.” Source: help.otter.ai for this step
- Empty the Trash after deleting a sensitive conversation. Otherwise it stays there for 30 days. Source: help.otter.ai for this step
- 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 for this step
What to write in your 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.”
Building your own approved tools list? The SafeStart Handbook includes one, with company accounts and safer privacy settings.