Zoom AI Companion GDPR and Data Protection: Why Use Without Transparency Is Risky

Zoom AI Companion GDPR and Data Protection: The Basic Issue

Zoom AI Companion is an AI-powered feature built into the popular video conferencing platform Zoom. It helps summarize meetings, answer questions, and generate tasks all without an additional bot joining the call. While this sounds helpful, it creates challenges for data protection compliance, especially for companies subject to EU regulations. Why? Because processing happens in the background, data is sent to US-based servers, and most participants don’t even realize they’re being analyzed.

How Zoom AI Companion Works: Quiet and Hidden

Zoom AI Companion is activated through the user interface and runs silently in the background. There is no additional participant in the meeting, no visible bot, and no automatic announcement. The assistant captures and processes conversations, then generates notes and action items based on what was said.

Here’s what may be processed:

• Spoken content (converted to text)
• Names, timestamps, and contextual meeting data
• Possibly screen shares, chat content, and other metadata

Transparency Issues: Zoom AI Companion Without Notice

The major concern is transparency. In many cases, participants aren’t informed that Zoom AI Companion is active. Since there’s no built-in notification, the person enabling the tool must take responsibility for communicating this.

This can pose risks under GDPR principles, such as:

• Article 5(1)(a): Fairness, transparency, and accountability
• Article 13: Duty to inform those affected
• Article 6: Requirement for a lawful basis (often consent)

While Zoom provides documentation, it does not substitute for the user’s duty to inform others.

Data Hosting Outside the EU: A Common Concern

Zoom AI Companion processes data in the US even for users located in the EU. Although Zoom participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF), this does not remove all legal uncertainty. The US is still not considered a fully "safe" third country under European law.

Why this matters:

• US authorities may request access to user data (e.g., under the CLOUD Act)
• EU companies may need additional safeguards like Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and Transfer Impact Assessments (TIAs)

For individuals or small businesses, these requirements are hard to implement in day-to-day operations.

Zoom AI Companion GDPR and Data Protection: The Difficulties

To use Zoom AI Companion in line with GDPR, several steps are necessary:

• Inform all participants clearly in advance.
• Obtain their consent where required.
• Protect cross-border data transfers through legal mechanisms.
• Document all compliance efforts internally.

These steps are possible, but they require time, planning, and consistent execution, which is rarely the case in practice.

Zoom AI Companion GDPR and Data Protection: Policy vs. Reality

In everyday use, Zoom AI Companion is often enabled without proper safeguards. Many users are unaware that they’re handling sensitive personal data. Even fewer take steps to inform others or obtain consent. This increases legal risk, especially for companies using Zoom for business purposes.

Conclusion: Zoom AI Companion Requires Careful Handling

Zoom AI Companion offers strong features but comes with significant data protection concerns. Its silent activation and use of US-based infrastructure create risks, particularly where GDPR applies.

To reduce legal exposure, users must proactively ensure transparency, seek consent where needed, and secure international data transfers. For a more compliant alternative, tools like Sally AI offer a visible bot, automatic announcements, and EU-based hosting, making them better suited for organizations with strict data privacy needs.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.