When a customer types a message into your chatbot, they are sharing information with your business. That information might include their name, email address, phone number, company details, and the specifics of their questions or problems. Protecting this data is a legal requirement, and it is also an important part of the trust your customers place in you.
An AI chatbot (a program that answers visitors' questions in a chat window on your website) raises specific security and privacy issues. This guide covers the main areas of concern and the best practices for keeping customer data safe.
Data That Chatbots Collect
Understanding what data your chatbot collects is the first step in protecting it. AI chatbots usually handle several kinds of data.
- Conversation content. Every message exchanged between the visitor and the chatbot, including questions asked, information shared, and responses provided.
- Contact information: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information that visitors share during lead capture (when the chatbot collects contact details for follow-up).
- Behavioral data: Pages visited before starting a chat, time spent in conversation, and how visitors use the chatbot.
- Technical data: Browser type, device information, IP address, and location data collected automatically when people use a website.
Some kinds of data are more sensitive than others, and legal requirements may differ by industry and by where your customers live.
Key Security Considerations
Data Encryption
All data transmitted between the visitor's browser and your chatbot platform should be encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security). This prevents others from reading conversations and personal information while they are being sent. Confirm that your chatbot platform uses HTTPS for all communications.
Data at rest, meaning stored conversation records, contact information, and knowledge base content (the written business information the chatbot answers from), should also be encrypted. This protects against unauthorized access to stored data in the event of a security breach.
For the fuller picture, read what to feed a chatbot and what to read back.
Access Controls
Limit who can access chatbot conversation data within your organization. Not everyone on your team needs to read customer conversations. Set access levels based on each person's role, so that only approved team members can view conversation transcripts, export data, or change chatbot settings.
Data Retention
Decide how long you keep chatbot conversation data. Keeping data forever increases your risk. Write a data retention policy that balances your business needs with good privacy practice. Common approaches include keeping conversation data for 90 days to one year and then archiving or deleting it.
Third-Party Data Sharing
Ask your chatbot vendor whether it shares conversation data with third parties, whether it uses your data to train its own AI models, and in which geographic regions it processes data.
Knowledge Base Security
Your chatbot's knowledge base may contain sensitive business information, such as pricing strategies, internal processes, and how you position your business against competitors. Make sure the knowledge base is secure and that the chatbot shares only appropriate information with visitors.
Privacy Compliance
GDPR Considerations
If you serve customers in the European Union, your chatbot must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The main requirements are listed below.
- Consent. Inform visitors that they are interacting with a chatbot and that their data will be collected. Provide a link to your privacy policy.
- Data access rights. Customers have the right to request a copy of all data you hold about them, including chatbot conversation logs.
- Right to erasure. Customers can request deletion of their data. Your chatbot platform should support data deletion requests.
- Data processing agreements. If your chatbot platform processes EU customer data, you need a Data Processing Agreement with the platform vendor.
CCPA Considerations
If you serve California residents, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) applies. Its main requirements include telling consumers what data you collect, allowing them to opt out of the sale of their data, and honoring requests to delete it.
Industry-Specific Regulations
Certain industries have additional requirements. Healthcare organizations must consider HIPAA (the federal law protecting patient health information). Financial services companies may need to address SOC 2 compliance (an independent review of how a company protects data). Educational institutions may need to comply with FERPA (the federal law protecting student records). Learn the rules that apply to your industry and make sure your chatbot setup meets them.
Best Practices for Chatbot Privacy
- Be transparent. Tell visitors they are chatting with an automated assistant. Include a brief privacy notice in the chatbot's welcome message or provide a link to your privacy policy.
- Collect only what you need. If you do not need a phone number, do not ask for it. Every piece of data you collect is data you must protect.
- Keep sensitive data out of the knowledge base: Do not include customer-specific data, internal passwords, or sensitive personal information in your chatbot's knowledge base. The knowledge base should contain general business information rather than records about individual customers.
- Set limits on topics. Tell your chatbot which topics it should and should not discuss. Make sure it does not accidentally share internal information, employee details, or confidential business data.
- Regular security reviews: Review your chatbot's security settings, access controls, and data handling practices on a regular schedule. Security needs ongoing attention rather than a single setup.
- Review the vendor carefully: Before choosing a chatbot platform, review the company's security practices, data handling policies, compliance certifications, and how it responds to security incidents.
Responding to Security Incidents
Even with good precautions, security incidents can happen, so have a plan in place.
- Detection: Watch for unusual activity in your chatbot platform, such as unexpected data exports, attempts to log in without permission, or changes to chatbot settings.
- Containment. If you suspect a breach, restrict access to the chatbot platform right away and keep the activity records for investigation.
- Assessment: Find out what data was affected, how the breach happened, and which customers are affected.
- Notification. Depending on the nature and scope of the breach, you may be legally required to notify affected customers and regulatory authorities within specific timeframes.
- Remediation: Fix the weakness that allowed the breach, review and strengthen your security measures, and add protections where needed.
Choosing a Secure Chatbot Platform
When comparing chatbot platforms, ask about encryption standards, where data is stored, access controls, compliance certifications, data retention policies, and how it responds to security incidents. Alma protects your data with encrypted data transmission, secure data storage, and privacy-respecting data practices. Your customers' data deserves the same level of protection you give your most important business information.
Related reading: Building Customer Self-Service Portals with AI, Measuring AI Customer Service ROI: Metrics That Matter.
To see how Alma works for medical offices, read about Alma for healthcare practices.
