Compliance & Governance
GDPR and Call Recording: What Businesses Need to Know in 2026
How GDPR applies to call recording: lawful basis, retention, consent, compliance vs convenience recording, and AI obligations
GDPR
GDPR call recording with the controls built in
Record only the calls you need, keep them only as long as you should, and find a person's calls when they ask for their data.
What GDPR asks of call recording
Recording a call is processing personal data. GDPR and UK GDPR allow it when there is a clear reason, people are told, the data is kept safe and it is deleted when the reason ends. This is general information, not legal advice.
A lawful basis
Each recording needs a reason the law accepts, such as a legal duty to record or a legitimate interest.
Clear notice
People on recorded calls are told that the call is recorded and why.
Only what you need
Only the people and calls your purpose covers are recorded.
A set retention period
Recordings are deleted when the reason to keep them ends, unless a legal hold applies.
Kept secure
Access control, encryption and an audit trail protect each recording.
Rights respected
People can ask for a copy of their recordings, so every call they were on needs to be found.
Can we record only some people?
Yes. You choose which users and groups are recorded.
How do we find a person's calls for an access request?
Search by participant across calls and meetings, then export the recordings and transcripts you need.
What happens when a retention period ends?
Argus Archive deletes the recording automatically, unless it is under a legal hold.
What does the AI do with our calls?
It transcribes calls and checks them against the rules you write, using AI models hosted in the EU. Your data is never used to train AI, and there is no emotion or voice recognition.
Where is our data processed and stored?
On Microsoft Azure in the European Union. Each customer has its own database and storage container.
How Argus Archive helps
Choose who is recorded
Record only the users and groups your purpose covers.
Delete on schedule
Retention policies delete recordings when their period ends, and a legal hold pauses deletion.
Only the side that matters
Each rule checks your staff, the customer or both, and only for the people it is assigned to.
Access by role
People see only the calls their role allows, and the audit log records who viewed or changed a recording.
Processed and stored in the EU
Recordings are processed and stored on Microsoft Azure in the European Union, and transcripts come from AI models hosted in the EU.
Answer access requests
Search for a person across calls and meetings, and export what they ask for.
Worth reading
GDPR, recording rules across the EU, and choosing who to record.
Compliance & Governance
Telephone Call Recording and GDPR: Understanding the Rules Across the EU
Learn how GDPR affects telephone call recording in EU countries — lawful bases, retention rules, individual rights, and how Argus Archive helps ensure compliance.
Product & Platform
Microsoft Teams Native Recording vs Policy-Based Compliance Recording
Microsoft Teams native recording works for collaboration. Compliance recording delivers policy-based capture, retention, and regulatory oversight.