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April 28, 2026

GDPR and meeting recording: what to know

Recordings are personal data. Here is how to stay on the right side of the GDPR.

By Julian Kissel

Recordings and transcripts are personal data

Under the GDPR, anything that identifies a person, including their voice and what they said in a meeting, is personal data. That means an AI meeting tool processes personal data on your behalf.

You need a lawful basis and a DPA

Before recording, make sure you have a lawful basis and that participants are informed. With your vendor you should sign a data processing agreement covering recordings, transcripts and summaries.

Why EU data residency matters

Where data is stored and processed is central to compliance. EU data residency keeps recordings and transcripts on servers inside the European Union, which many organizations require. Our comparison table marks tools with EU hosting.

Bot or no bot

Some tools send a recording bot into the call, which is visible to everyone. Others capture audio on the device without a bot. Neither removes the need for consent, but the bot makes recording obvious to participants.

Julian Kissel

Managing Director, Aliru GmbH

Julian Kissel is the managing director of Aliru GmbH, which operates MeetingSummary.