AI & Recording Policy

Version 1.3 — published 13 October 2026. It applies to new customers from 13 October 2026 and to existing customers from 12 November 2026. See What changed in 1.3 at the end.

SiteMinutes turns a recorded meeting into draft minutes. This policy explains how that works, what we do and do not do with your data, and what you must do as the person recording. It forms part of the Terms of Service.

1. How the AI is used

Call audio on a Mac. When you record on a Mac you can switch on Call audio. SiteMinutes then records your microphone together with all sound the Mac plays: the other people in a Teams, Zoom or Google Meet call, and any other sound played during the recording. SiteMinutes records on your Mac; it does not join the call. The recording then follows the same steps as any other recording (steps 1 to 7).

The help assistant (the round ? button) sends your question, the conversation so far and basic information about your plan (company name, role, plan and trial status — never e-mail addresses) to Claude to answer questions about using SiteMinutes.

2. What we promise about your data and AI

• Your permission before AI processing. Before any meeting data is sent to our AI providers (OpenAI and Anthropic), the apps ask for your explicit permission. You can withdraw it at any time in Settings → Account → AI processing; without it, cloud transcription and AI-drafted minutes are not available.
• No training. We do not use your recordings, transcripts or minutes to train AI models, and our providers' business API terms say they do not use API data for training by default. We have not opted in to any data sharing with them.
• Minimum data, shortest time. The AI providers receive only what is needed for the task. According to their published terms (September 2026), OpenAI's transcription endpoint keeps no copy of the audio, and Anthropic deletes API inputs and outputs within 30 days (up to 2 years only if flagged for a usage-policy violation).
• No selling, no advertising. Your meeting content is never sold or used for advertising.
• Your content stays yours. You own the transcripts and minutes.
• No automated decisions about people. The AI summarises what was said. It does not make decisions about individuals.
• We tell you before changing providers. Any new AI provider will be listed in advance in the Data Processing Addendum.

3. Transcripts and minutes are drafts — a person must review them

Transcripts and minutes produced by SiteMinutes are machine-generated drafts. A person must read, correct and approve them before they are finished, relied on or sent. SiteMinutes does not guarantee their accuracy and is not liable for loss caused by relying on or distributing them.

AI can make mistakes. Transcripts and minutes may contain errors, omissions and mistranslations: speech-to-text can mishear words, names, numbers and Afrikaans or other languages; the drafting model can attribute statements to the wrong person, get names, amounts or dates wrong, leave points out, or — despite instructions not to — state something that was not said.

For that reason:

1. Every transcript and every set of minutes produced by SiteMinutes is a draft until a person has reviewed it.
2. Before minutes are finished, relied on or distributed, a competent person must read the whole document, check it against their own knowledge of the meeting and against the recording or transcript where there is doubt — especially names, dates, amounts, contract instructions, responsibilities and deadlines — and correct it.
3. Choosing Finish confirms that a person has read the minutes, corrected them and takes responsibility for their content. The app asks you to confirm this.
4. You are the author and publisher of the final minutes. You decide what they say and to whom they are sent. SiteMinutes is not the author, publisher or distributor of your minutes.
5. No warranty, no liability. SiteMinutes gives no warranty that transcripts or minutes are accurate or complete, and is not liable for any loss arising from reliance on or distribution of them; you indemnify SiteMinutes against third-party claims arising from minutes you finished or distributed. The full terms are in section 2 of the Terms of Service.
6. SiteMinutes' minutes include a standard note that they are accepted as a true record unless written notice of errors or omissions is received within 7 days of distribution. That note is for the parties to the meeting; it does not replace your review.
7. SiteMinutes does not give legal, contractual or professional advice.

Minutes are always written in English, whatever language the meeting was held in. Check translated statements with particular care.

4. Recording consent — your responsibility

Recording a meeting captures the voices and words of everyone present. The customer (and the person recording on its behalf) is responsible for recording lawfully.

Always:

• Tell everyone at the start that the meeting is being recorded, why (to prepare minutes), and who will have access. The app shows the reminder "Tell everyone the meeting is being recorded" before every recording.
• Stop or pause if someone objects and you do not have another lawful basis to continue, and record the objection in the minutes.
• Tell people joining late, and people joining by phone or video.
• Online calls with Call audio (Mac). The other people in the call may not be SiteMinutes users, and because SiteMinutes records on your Mac and does not join the call, Teams, Zoom or Meet show them no recording banner. You must tell everyone at the start of the call that the meeting is being recorded. Do not record if anyone refuses consent, or where the law of any participant's location requires consent that has not been given. Remember that Call audio records everything the Mac plays, so close or mute other sound you do not want in the recording.
• Avoid recording sensitive personal matters that are not needed for the minutes.

Know the law where you record. Recording rules differ between countries:

• South Africa. Under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act 70 of 2002 (RICA), a person who is a party to a communication may generally record it. But recording is also processing of personal information under POPIA, so the customer needs a lawful ground (for example a legitimate interest in accurate minutes, or consent) and must notify participants (section 18).
• Namibia. The Constitution protects privacy (Article 13), and a Data Protection Bill is pending. Treat notice and, where practical, consent as the standard.
• All-party-consent jurisdictions. Several jurisdictions require the consent of every participant, including a number of US states (for example California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington) and some European countries (for example Germany, where recording privately spoken words without consent can be a criminal offence). If any participant is in such a place, including by phone or video, obtain everyone's consent before recording.
• European Union and United Kingdom. Recording is processing under the GDPR; you need a lawful basis and must inform participants.
• Canada and Australia. In Canada a participant may generally record a conversation, but privacy law still requires notice for business use. In Australia the rules differ by state and territory, and some require the consent of all parties.

This section is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure, ask your own legal adviser.

5. Meeting participants' rights

People who were recorded or named in minutes can ask the customer that ran the meeting to see, correct or delete their information. We help customers respond (see the Privacy Policy and the Data Retention & Deletion Policy).

6. Questions

help@siteminutes.com.

What changed in 1.3

Version 1.3 replaces version 1.2. It applies to new customers from 13 October 2026 and to existing customers from 12 November 2026. In short:

• New operator. SiteMinutes is now a trading name of Deidre and Co (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2023/811635/07), a private company registered in South Africa, with its registered office at Regus Century City, The Colosseum, Foyer 3, 1st Floor, Century Way, Century City, Cape Town 7441, South Africa. Under section 20 of the Terms (Assignment), Deidre and Co (Pty) Ltd takes over every existing customer agreement from 13 October 2026 and honours it in full: your plan, prices, paid periods, data and settings stay as they are.
• South African law. The Terms are governed by South African law, and our POPIA Notice is now that of a South African responsible party. The consumer rights you have under the law of the country where you live are not affected.
• Rand only, through Paystack. All prices are charged in South African rand (ZAR). Card payments will be processed by Paystack (Paystack South Africa (Pty) Ltd, a Stripe company), our new payment provider. Until card payment through Paystack opens, you can pay by EFT on invoice through a support ticket.
• Version 1.2 dates stay. The changes announced in version 1.2 (sub-processors Resend and Microsoft 365, Mac Call audio, calendar invites, once-off payments with reminders, product-update e-mails) take effect on 30 October 2026, as announced.

If you are an existing customer and do not agree to version 1.3, you may cancel before 12 November 2026 and receive a pro-rata refund of any prepaid, unused period (Terms, section 18). Under the Data Processing Addendum you may object to Paystack as a new sub-processor before that date by writing to help@siteminutes.com.