How Long Does Sicada AI Retain Voice Recordings?

Sicada AI does not apply a single fixed retention period to all voice recordings. Retention is configurable at the deployment level- meaning the business deploying Sicada sets how long recordings and transcripts are stored, based on their regulatory obligations, internal policy, and operational needs.

Default retention periods apply to standard deployments. Custom retention windows- shorter for sensitive industries, longer for regulated compliance requirements are available as part of the deployment configuration. Zero-retention options, where no recording or transcript is stored beyond the live interaction, are available for deployments operating under the strictest data handling requirements.

For the exact retention configuration applicable to your deployment, contact Sicada directly. This page explains how recording retention voice AI works in practice, what the options mean operationally, and what compliance frameworks each retention model supports.

Why Retention Configuration Matters

Voice recordings are not neutral data. Every call your AI agent handles contains personal information- names, phone numbers, stated preferences, financial details, health information in some industries, and location data. How long that data is stored, where it is stored, and who can access it are all variables with direct regulatory and liability implications.

The how long voice recordings kept question is not just a technical configuration choice. It is a compliance decision. And the answer that is right for a fintech company holding recordings for regulatory audit purposes is different from the right answer for a healthcare clinic handling patient intake calls, which is different again from the right answer for an automotive dealership running appointment booking flows.

Retention configuration that is set at deployment and left at platform defaults- rather than reviewed against regulatory obligations is one of the most common compliance gaps in voice AI deployments. Industry data shows that 45,000 recordings were found past a mandated 90-day deletion window in one documented audit failure not because of a policy gap, but because automated deletion was never verified to be working correctly after a routine infrastructure change.

Getting retention right is an operational discipline, not a one-time setup decision.

Sicada's Retention Options

Sicada supports three broad retention configurations, applicable depending on deployment type, industry, and regulatory context:

Standard Retention Recordings and transcripts are stored for a defined default period typically 30 to 90 days for standard customer service and lead capture deployments. This covers most operational use cases: reviewing call quality, improving conversation flows, resolving customer disputes, and maintaining basic audit capability. At the end of the retention window, data is automatically deleted and deletion is logged.

Custom Retention Windows For businesses with specific regulatory requirements- financial services firms required to retain call records for defined audit periods, legal firms maintaining matter-related documentation, or enterprise clients with internal data governance frameworks- custom retention periods are available. These can be set shorter than the standard window for privacy-first deployments, or longer where regulatory retention obligations require it.

Zero Retention For deployments handling the most sensitive data categories- patient health information, legal consultations, financial advisory conversations- Sicada supports zero-retention configurations where no audio recording or transcript is stored after the call concludes. The qualification output and CRM write-back still occur; the recording itself is not persisted. This configuration supports compliance with the strictest interpretations of HIPAA, GDPR Article 5 data minimisation principles, and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

What Gets Retained and What Does Not

Understanding the voice retention policy distinction between recording types matters for compliance review.

Call recordings- the raw audio file of the conversation- are the largest data object and the most sensitive from a privacy and biometric data perspective. Retention periods for audio files should be the shortest that still meet operational and regulatory requirements.

Transcripts- the text conversion of the call is typically retained separately from audio. Transcripts carry the same data sensitivity as recordings but in a searchable, indexable format. GDPR and similar frameworks treat them as personal data with equivalent handling requirements to audio.

CRM records- the structured qualification data written to your CRM at call completion- follow your organisation's own CRM data retention schedule, which is independent of the voice AI platform's recording retention. This distinction matters: deleting a recording from the voice AI platform does not delete the associated CRM record. Both retention schedules need to be aligned.

Metadata and logs- call timestamps, duration, agent assignment, escalation triggers, and system event logs- typically carry different retention requirements from recordings and transcripts. ASR logs in cloud platforms are frequently held for 30–90 days by default unless explicitly configured otherwise.

Compliance Frameworks and What They Require

Different regulatory environments impose different minimum and maximum retention obligations. Here is how the most relevant frameworks map to Sicada's retention options:

GDPR- European Union GDPR's data minimisation principle under Article 5 requires that personal data is kept no longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. There is no fixed maximum retention period under GDPR- the obligation is to justify retention duration against a legitimate purpose and delete when that purpose is fulfilled. For most voice AI use cases, 30–90 days is considered proportionate for operational recordings. Longer retention requires documented justification. Zero retention is the most defensible configuration for GDPR compliance, where recording is not operationally required.

HIPAA- United States Healthcare HIPAA requires that Protected Health Information which includes any voice recording that captures patient identity alongside health-related content is retained for a minimum of six years from the date of creation or last use. Healthcare deployments must use HIPAA-eligible infrastructure, sign a Business Associate Agreement with the voice AI vendor, and maintain audit logs of all access to stored recordings. Zero retention is permissible where recordings are not required for care documentation, but the six-year minimum applies to any recording that constitutes a medical record.

PDPL Saudi Arabia and UAE The Personal Data Protection Law in Saudi Arabia and the UAE's data protection framework both impose data localisation requirements- voice data processed in these markets must be stored on infrastructure within the region. Retention periods must be proportionate to purpose, and individuals retain the right to request deletion of their personal data. Sicada's MENA deployments are configured with regional data processing to meet these requirements.

DPDP Act- India India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act requires that personal data- including voice recordings is retained only as long as necessary for the purpose for which consent was obtained. Once the purpose is fulfilled and no legal obligation requires longer retention, data must be deleted. Consent for recording must be obtained and logged at the start of each interaction, with an auditable record of the consent event.

Financial Services- FCA, SEBI, MAS Regulatory frameworks covering financial advisory and transactional voice interactions typically require retention of two to seven years depending on jurisdiction and call type. Sicada's custom retention configuration supports these extended windows with full audit trail capability and access logging.

What to Confirm with Sicada Before Deployment

Before finalising your deployment configuration, get documented answers to the following:

• What is the default retention period for recordings and transcripts on your deployment tier?
• Is automated deletion verified and logged and how is that verification confirmed?
• Where is data physically stored which country or region and does that meet your data localisation requirements?
• Is a zero-retention configuration available for your specific use case and industry?
• Does the vendor sign a Data Processing Agreement and, where relevant, a Business Associate Agreement?
• Are LLM prompt logs and ASR processing logs included in the retention configuration, or do these carry separate default retention periods?
• What happens to recorded data if the contract is terminated is deletion immediate and verified?

These questions are not optional for regulated industries. They are the baseline due diligence that any data protection officer or legal team will require before a voice AI deployment is approved.

The Summary Answer

Sicada AI retains voice recordings for the period configured at deployment with standard, custom, and zero-retention options available depending on regulatory context and operational requirements.

The right how long voice recordings kept answer for your business depends on your industry, your jurisdiction, and your internal data governance framework. Standard deployments default to 30–90 days. Regulated industries with extended retention obligations can configure longer windows. Deployments requiring maximum privacy protection can configure zero retention.

Contact Sicada's team to confirm the retention configuration that applies to your specific deployment and compliance requirements and to receive a copy of the Data Processing Agreement before you go live.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Sicada AI keep voice recordings by default? 

Sicada's default retention period for standard deployments is 30–90 days depending on deployment type and configuration. Custom retention windows are available for regulated industries requiring longer retention, and zero-retention configurations are available for deployments where no recording storage is permitted under applicable data protection law.

What is a zero-retention voice AI configuration? 

Zero retention means no audio recording or transcript is stored after the call concludes. The AI still conducts the qualification conversation and writes structured data to the CRM, but the raw call recording is not persisted on any server. This configuration supports HIPAA, GDPR data minimisation requirements, and other frameworks where voice recording storage must be minimised or eliminated.

Does deleting a recording also delete the CRM record? 

No. Voice recording retention and CRM data retention are governed by separate policies and separate systems. Deleting a recording from the voice AI platform does not delete the associated lead record, qualification data, or transcript from your CRM. Both retention schedules need to be aligned separately as part of your data governance framework.

What compliance certifications should I ask a voice AI vendor for? 

At minimum: SOC 2 Type II audit report, HIPAA Business Associate Agreement eligibility for healthcare deployments, GDPR Data Processing Agreement, and confirmation of data storage geography. For MENA deployments, confirm PDPL compliance and regional data localisation. For financial services, confirm whether extended retention windows are supported with full audit trail capability.