Guide · Privacy and consent
Call recording and consent — practical guide for businesses
A plain-language guide to business call recording: legal context, when you need consent, how Skaala stores and deletes recordings, and what callers can request. This is an explanation, not a formal legal policy.
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Business call recording is generally legal in jurisdictions where the business is a party to the call, but the recording is personal data and must be handled under GDPR-equivalent rules. In practice the caller should be informed, the purpose should be clear, and the recording should be stored securely and deleted when the purpose is fulfilled. Skaala plays an automatic disclosure (AI + recording), stores primarily in EU regions, and lets you export or delete individual calls from the dashboard.
What is a call recording?
A call recording is the audio file of a phone call, typically accompanied by a transcript and structured fields (summary, category). Both are personal data when a participant is identifiable.
Skaala uses informed recordings — the AI opens each call by disclosing that it's an AI and that the call is being recorded. No covert recording.
What does the law generally say?
In most one-party-consent jurisdictions (which includes Norway and Sweden), recording a call you participate in is lawful. The recording itself is still personal data under GDPR-equivalent regimes — requires a legal basis, a clear purpose, secure storage, and deletion when the purpose is fulfilled.
Two-party-consent jurisdictions (some US states, parts of Canada) require both parties to consent. Verify your local rules before relying on this guide.
When do you need explicit consent?
For typical business calls (booking, qualification, customer service), legitimate interest or contract performance is usually a sufficient legal basis — explicit consent isn't required.
Explicit consent matters for special categories of personal data — health, union membership, politics. If you're a dental or medical clinic recording patient symptoms, gather explicit consent before the sensitive part of the call.
How Skaala handles recordings and transcripts
Every inbound call to your Skaala number is recorded in full. Storage is primarily in EU regions. Retention is configurable in the dashboard — common choices are 90 days, 12 months, or unlimited during active subscription.
You can export and delete individual calls, all calls for a contact, or your entire account's data directly from the dashboard.
What callers can ask for
GDPR-equivalent rights apply against your business as the data controller: access, rectification, erasure, portability, objection to legitimate-interest processing.
Skaala's dashboard exports everything tied to a phone number or contact in one click. Deletions are final and cover primary storage and backups per our deletion procedure.
What Skaala does NOT decide for your business
Skaala doesn't decide whether your business has legal grounds to record, whether you need explicit consent, retention periods, or how to handle individual DSAR requests. Those are your decisions as the data controller.
Regulated industries (healthcare, legal, finance) — run your own risk assessment before letting AI handle sensitive data. Skaala is not certified for any specific health regime.
Read on
Further resources on privacy, recording, and Skaala's data handling:
- Security and privacy at Skaala Our trust page: GDPR posture, EU data residency, encryption, access control.
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA) Formal GDPR Art. 28 agreement between you and Skaala.
- Privacy Policy Skaala's own privacy policy.
- AI phone assistant The product that records the calls.
- Pricing Recording and transcription are included in every plan.
FAQ
Is business call recording legal?
In most one-party-consent jurisdictions, yes — provided the business is a party to the call. The recording is still personal data and must be handled accordingly.
Must the caller be informed?
Recommended in every jurisdiction we operate in. Skaala plays an automatic AI + recording disclosure.
Do I need explicit consent?
Not for typical business calls. Yes for sensitive data (health, etc.).
How long can we store recordings?
As long as the purpose requires — you configure a max. Industry rules may require longer or shorter.
Can we delete individual recordings?
Yes, directly from the dashboard. Deletion is final.
Where are recordings stored?
Primarily EU region. Details in the DPA.
Does Skaala train AI on our recordings?
No. Recordings are used only to deliver the service to you.
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