It depends: Otter AI is suitable for client meetings only when your brokerage approves its data use and every participant agrees to recording. Keep it out of confidential client calls until you have settled those conditions and restricted sharing.
If Otter has already joined a meeting without agreement, type “stop otter” in the meeting chat before discussing client information. Otter documents this removal command for Teams, Zoom and Google Meet.
What Otter AI Does
Otter AI records speech and turns it into a searchable transcript, with summaries and action items. Its Notetaker can join online meetings through a connected calendar or a meeting link someone supplies.
Otter’s Notetaker overview explains its calendar connection. An account holder can send the assistant even when they do not attend. That is one reason a bot can appear without the host deliberately adding it.
The recording can contain much more than the final meeting notes. A client might mention health information, income or an account number while discussing a loan. Otter’s privacy policy also describes speaker identification and automatic screenshots in virtual meetings.
Sharing depends on the account and event settings. Otter’s auto-share controls can share notes with calendar guests or other people. Individual event settings can override the account default. Check the actual conversation permissions before sending a client meeting link.
Is Otter AI Safe and Secure?
Otter has documented security controls, but its data use still needs a separate client-confidentiality decision. Encryption does not determine who receives a transcript or whether meeting content helps train a model.
The Otter privacy and security page reports a SOC 2 Type 2 audit and two-factor authentication on every plan. It describes AES-256 server-side encryption for stored data. Enable two-factor authentication and restrict each conversation to the people who need it.
Otter’s data-storage guidance identifies AWS West in the United States. A brokerage using Otter therefore needs to assess overseas storage and processing before accepting client recordings.
Its privacy policy permits training its own AI on deidentified audio recordings and transcripts that can contain personal information. The policy also identifies data-labelling providers. Otter separately says its external AI providers do not train their models on customer data. These are different commitments.
For a confidential client meeting, use Otter only under data terms the brokerage accepts. Set a deletion period and limit sharing. If your brokerage requires exclusion from model training, an ordinary subscription payment does not establish that protection. Obtain an agreement that meets the requirement before recording.
Privacy Complaints and the Court Case
A US privacy lawsuit challenges Otter’s recording and data practices. In its 2026 order in In re Otter.ai Privacy Litigation, the federal district court allowed several claims to proceed and dismissed others.
The plaintiffs allege recording without adequate consent and use of meeting content for Otter’s commercial purposes. That ruling concerns whether claims can proceed. It does not establish that the allegations are proved or decide whether your Australian client meeting is lawful.
Is Otter Legal to Use in Your State?
Otter can be used lawfully, but recording permission depends on the applicable listening-device laws and what happens to the recording. A visible bot or recording notice does not settle every consent requirement.
In New South Wales, section 7 of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007 restricts recording private conversations, including by a participant. Consent from all principal parties is one exception. Other exceptions depend on the circumstances, such as protecting lawful interests or restrictions on the purpose of communication.
Do not assume routine note-taking qualifies for an exception. The NSW Department of Communities and Justice’s recording-law explanation distinguishes making a recording from communicating it. Sending audio to a cloud service and sharing the resulting transcript require attention beyond pressing Record.
Queensland illustrates why a single national rule is misleading. Section 43 of the Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 has an exception for a participant using a listening device. Section 45 separately restricts communicating or publishing recordings, subject to exceptions. Permission to record does not automatically permit every later use.
For brokerage meetings, adopt express agreement from every participant before admitting Otter. Identify where participants are located, and have your licensee’s procedure address interstate calls. Recording consent also leaves privacy obligations to assess. The OAIC’s guidance on commercial AI tools discusses meeting transcripts and the collection of sensitive information.
A consent request can say:
We would like to use Otter to record this meeting and prepare a transcript. The recording is processed and stored in the United States. Only our authorised team will receive the notes. Are you comfortable with that, or would you prefer us to take notes manually?
Use that wording only when it matches your actual sharing arrangements and explanation of data use. Record each person’s answer. If someone declines, leave Otter out and take manual notes. Ask late arrivals before including their speech in a recording.
Free and Paid Plans
Otter has a free Basic plan and paid Pro, Business and Enterprise plans. Pro and Business use per-user subscriptions with monthly or annual billing. Enterprise uses a sales-led agreement.
The Otter plan comparison distinguishes recording allowances and team administration. Basic permits limited transcription. Pro adds more capacity, while Business adds administration features such as activity logs. Enterprise includes single sign-on and further controls.
For client privacy, assess the controls you can enforce. Otter’s Enterprise admin controls cover retention and restrictions on sharing, with recording controls. These help an owner apply a brokerage policy across staff accounts.
A free plan can still receive client information. A paid plan can still have unsuitable recording or sharing settings. Choose the required data terms and administrator controls before choosing the subscription.
Remove Otter From Your Meetings
Stop the current recording first, then change the settings that let Otter return. Cancellation, disconnection and deletion each have a different effect.
Stop the Current Meeting Recording
- Type “stop otter” in the meeting chat. Otter’s removal guide says any participant can use this command.
- Confirm every Otter Notetaker leaves the participant list. The command removes all Otter Notetakers in that meeting.
- In Teams, the organiser or a presenter with permission can also remove the Notetaker participant through the meeting controls.
- Pause client discussion until you confirm removal. Stopping the bot does not delete what it already recorded.
Stop Future Auto-Join and Disconnect Teams Meetings
- In Otter, open Integrations, then Meetings. Under Default auto-join settings, choose Meetings I manually select.
- Review upcoming events on Otter’s calendar and switch off any individual Notetaker toggles. Previously customised events can keep their own settings.
- For a full calendar disconnection, open Integrations and choose Disconnect beside the connected Microsoft calendar. Disconnect any other calendar feeding the meetings too.
- Confirm future synced events disappear from Otter. Check your next meeting’s participant list before discussing client details.
Otter’s auto-join instructions explain the event overrides. Its calendar disconnection guide says disconnection removes synced future events and stops new syncing.
Removing an Otter app shortcut from Teams does not perform those Otter calendar steps. If a bot still appears after disconnection, identify the participant whose account sent it. Your settings cannot prevent someone else from adding their Notetaker.
Cancel the Subscription
For a subscription bought on Otter’s website, an owner or administrator must open Account Settings, then Billing, and select Cancel plan. Follow the prompts through Cancel subscription and confirm the expiry shown in Billing.
Subscriptions bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play must be cancelled through that store. Otter’s cancellation instructions recommend cancelling at least 24 hours before renewal. Paid access continues to the end of the billing period. Cancelling leaves the account on Basic and does not delete its recordings.
Delete Recordings and the Account
Preserve any record your brokerage must retain before deleting it. Export an approved copy into the client record, with access restricted to the appropriate team.
To remove an owned conversation, move it to Trash. Otter’s conversation deletion guide says Trash items are permanently deleted after 30 days. For immediate permanent deletion, open Trash, choose Empty Trash Now and confirm Delete Forever. Check the exact contents before confirming because recovery is unavailable.
To close your account, follow Otter’s account deletion instructions:
- Turn off auto-join, disconnect calendars and cancel any subscription through its billing provider.
- Open Account Settings, then General, and select Delete account.
- Complete the identity verification, review the deletion notice and confirm only when you intend to delete all account conversations.
If Delete account is missing in a multi-member workspace, ask the workspace owner to handle the account. Deleting the mobile app alone leaves the account and recordings in place.
Finally, confirm the subscription is cancelled and Otter no longer joins meetings. Account deletion cannot recall files or notes another recipient has already downloaded, so handle those copies under your brokerage’s records procedure.
