Zero Data Retention
A processing mode in which the model provider does not store inputs or outputs after a request completes.
What is Zero Data Retention?
Zero data retention is one of the controls procurement teams ask for when sensitive prompts must traverse an external API. It is not a substitute for keeping data local — logs, embeddings, and retrieved passages still live somewhere — but it constrains what a third party can keep. See Why Data Security Matters in AI.
What is an example of Zero Data Retention?
A company enables an approved no-retention API for redacted requests, disables provider-side history, limits internal application logs, and verifies that optional files, batch jobs, and support tickets are covered by separate retention terms.
How is Zero Data Retention different from related concepts?
Zero data retention limits persistence by a processor. It does not mean zero processing, anonymous processing, no network exposure, or no storage anywhere in the end-to-end system.
What should enterprises evaluate for Zero Data Retention?
- Read the contract and service-specific documentation for exclusions, abuse monitoring, legal holds, regional processing, and support access.
- Verify settings and every endpoint in use; do not assume an account-level promise covers new features automatically.
- Minimize and redact data before transmission and maintain an architecture that does not depend on provider retention claims alone.
Putting Zero Data Retention to work?
VDF AI runs governed AI agents on your own infrastructure — on-premises, sovereign cloud, or air-gapped. Book a working session to map the architecture.
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