Zero data retention (ZDR)

An arrangement in which an AI provider does not store your prompts and outputs after returning the response, beyond what is needed to serve it.

By default, API providers keep inputs and outputs for a limited period, for example for abuse monitoring. Some offer zero data retention to eligible business customers, usually by separate agreement and only for some features. It is different from “we do not train on your data”, which most business plans already promise; ZDR is about storage at all.

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Related terms

Data processing agreement (DPA): The contract GDPR requires when a vendor processes personal data on your behalf: what, why, how it is protected, who else gets it.
Local LLM: A language model running on hardware you control instead of a provider’s API, so documents stay where you decide.
GDPR: The EU regulation on personal data: lawful basis, minimal data, user rights and breach reporting, for anyone handling EU residents’ data.

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