Building a Compliant Voice AI: GDPR, PCI, HIPAA, FINRA/MiFID, GLBA & TCPA

To ensure your Voice AI is compliant, make sure it is designed privacy‑by‑design, operated with strong security, and backed by the right contracts and audits. Below is how a compliant Voice AI stack is built and run across GDPR and common industry regimes (PCI, HIPAA, FINRA/SEC/MiFID II, GLBA, TCPA, COPPA, and more).

Your role model: controller vs. processor

1. You (the business) are typically the data controller.
2. The Voice AI platform and its providers act as processors/sub‑processors.
3. Put DPAs in place, list sub‑processors, and flow down obligations (security, deletion, breach notice).

GDPR compliance in practice

1. Lawful basis and transparency
2. Pick a lawful basis (legitimate interests or consent) and honor ePrivacy/recording rules.
3. Clear upfront disclosure: who’s calling, that AI is used, whether the call is recorded, links to privacy notice.
4. If outcomes could be “legal or similarly significant” for the individual, offer a human path (GDPR Art. 22).
5. Data minimization and purpose limitation
6. Collect only what’s needed; block unneeded PII in prompts/logs.
7. Use redaction and tokenization for PAN/SSN/PHI; don’t send raw identifiers to LLMs.
8. Security of processing
9. In transit: SIP‑TLS/SRTP or DTLS‑SRTP for media; HTTPS/TLS 1.2+ and mTLS for APIs.
10. At rest: AES‑256 with KMS/HSM, per‑tenant keys, rotation.
11. Zero‑trust access: SSO/MFA, least privilege, JIT access, audited exports.
12. Individual rights (DSARs)
13. Locate and export transcripts/recordings; redact third‑party data; deliver in common formats.
14. Verified deletion and suppression across audio, transcripts, analytics, and backups (with documented timelines).
15. DPIA and ROPA
16. Run a Data Protection Impact Assessment for voice biometrics, large‑scale processing, or sensitive data.
17. Maintain Records of Processing Activities with systems, purposes, retention, and recipients.
18. Retention, residency, and transfers
19. Configurable retention per data type; default to the minimum necessary.
20. EU/UK processing in‑region where required; for cross‑border transfers, rely on EU‑US DPF and/or SCCs with TIAs and supplemental measures (encryption, access controls).
21. Vendor controls
22. Contractually opt out of provider training on your data; require deletion SLAs, pen test/SOC 2/ISO 27001 reports, and incident notice within agreed timelines (e.g., 72 hours).

Apart from the general guidelines here are typical industry‑specific requirements:

Payments (PCI DSS)

1. Keep PAN/CVV out of transcripts and prompts via DTMF masking or secure payment handoff to a PCI‑certified gateway.
2. Tokenize payment data; segment networks; run required scans and assessments; limit retention to receipts/tokens.

Healthcare (HIPAA)

1. Execute BAAs with all PHI‑touching vendors.
2. Minimum necessary access, audit trails, breach notification workflows, and segregated PHI storage.
3. Disable training on PHI; isolate models and logs; strict retention.

Financial services (GLBA, FINRA/SEC, MiFID II)

1. GLBA Safeguards: risk assessments, encryption, access controls, vendor due diligence.
2. Broker‑dealer/investment calls: capture required recordings and store in WORM/immutable storage for mandated periods (e.g., 5–7 years), with supervised access and audit.
3. Avoid unapproved “advice”; use approved scripts and disclaimers; archive communications consistently.

Banking/payments (PSD2/SCA)

1. Support strong customer authentication paths; never store credentials; coordinate handoffs to PSPs/IDV tools.
2. Log consent and authentication outcomes.

Telecom and outreach (TCPA, FCC/Ofcom equivalents)

1. Capture and store call/text consent (purpose, timestamp, source); honor DNC lists.
2. Provide opt‑out mechanisms; respect quiet hours and jurisdictional rules for prerecorded messages.

Children’s data (COPPA) and education (FERPA)

1. Age‑gating where minors may be present; obtain verifiable parental consent or avoid collecting under‑13 data.
2. For education, handle student records as directory/non‑directory under FERPA; limit access and disclosures.

Accessibility and civil rights

1. Offer TTY/TDD bridges, SMS/email fallbacks, clear speech, and multilingual support.
2. Ensure equal access and reasonable accommodation pathways.

Voice‑specific legalities

1. Call recording consent varies by jurisdiction (one‑ vs. all‑party). Play the right disclosure, use periodic beep tones where mandated, and log consent.
2. Provide a human option upon request and disclose when an AI is speaking if required by local law.

Operational evidence and audits

1. Certifications/reports: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001; sector add‑ons (HITRUST, PCI AoC). Public sector may require FedRAMP/StateRAMP.
2. Continuous controls: pen tests, vuln scans, third‑party risk reviews, change management, DR/BCP drills.
3. Tamper‑evident audit logs covering access, exports, consent capture, redaction events, and retention actions.

Compliance is achievable—and sustainable—when Voice AI is built with privacy‑by‑design, grounded in clear contracts, and operated with disciplined security and governance. Map your regulations, switch on the corresponding controls, and keep evidence current. The result: faster service for customers, with trust and compliance preserved. Note: This post is informational, not legal advice—consult your counsel for your specific obligations.