apps/web/content/articles/is-fireflies-ai-safe.mdx
You're in a Zoom call when suddenly "Fred from Fireflies" joins the meeting. That little bot starts recording everything you say, transcribing your conversation, and promising to send you a nice summary afterward.
It's convenient. Until you start wondering: where do all those recordings actually go? And what exactly is Fireflies doing with them?
We decided to find out.
Fireflies AI is a cloud-based service that automatically joins your video calls as a bot participant. It records everything, transcribes the conversation, and uses AI to create summaries and insights. The bot integrates with popular platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
Everything gets processed on Fireflies' servers, not your device. Your conversations become their data.
I went through their privacy policy and terms of service. Here's what I found.
Your meetings and more:
Your personal details:
Your digital footprint:
Access to your other accounts:
When you connect Google Calendar or other services, Fireflies can access and store "any content that you have provided to and stored in your Third-Party Account" - including your contact lists.
They're not responsible if their AI messes up: Their terms explicitly say that while they use AI to process your conversations, "Fireflies is not liable for any loss or harm resulting from the user's use of AI." If something goes wrong with how they handle your data, you're on your own.
Your data becomes theirs forever: Fireflies keeps "all rights to aggregated and anonymous data derived from your use of the Service" with no expiration date. Even if they can't identify you personally, they own insights from your conversations permanently.
They share your data widely: Your information gets shared with their business partners, service providers, any company that might buy Fireflies in the future, or government authorities if they think it's necessary.
You're legally responsible for everything: Their terms say "You are responsible for compliance with all recording laws." If you accidentally record someone without consent, that's your legal problem, not theirs. This becomes especially problematic when users can't actually control when Fireflies records—you're still legally liable even if their bot shows up uninvited.
Even if Fireflies completely screws up and causes major damage, their maximum liability is capped at either what you paid them in the last six months or $100—whichever is less. Your confidential business meeting gets leaked and costs you a major client, and Fireflies owes you maybe $100.
The privacy policy issues aren't just theoretical. Real users are reporting some concerning problems:
Source: Reddit
Multiple people report that Fireflies keeps showing up in their meetings even after they deactivated their accounts, tried to uninstall it, asked their IT department for help, or explicitly requested it to stop recording. One user described it as "trying to remove a deer tick from your leg—messy and painful."
Source: Reddit
Fireflies automatically sends meeting summaries to everyone on the calendar invite, including people who never consented to being recorded, external clients and partners, former employees who still have access to recurring meetings, and anyone who happened to be invited but didn't even attend.
Source: Reddit
Several users report that just by joining a meeting where someone else used Fireflies, the software somehow installed itself on their computers and started recording their future meetings without their knowledge.
Definitely avoid Fireflies for:
Use extreme caution for:
Use for:
Even then, everyone in the meeting needs to consent to being recorded, and you're legally responsible if they don't.
If you need AI-powered meeting transcription but don't want to hand over your conversations to a cloud service, there's a better way.
Char is an an open-source AI notepad for meetings that gives you complete control. While Fireflies locks you into their cloud, Char stores everything as plain markdown files and lets you choose your AI stack. Zero lock-in, zero compromises. It's the only truly open-source AI notepad for meetings.
Check out our Fireflies AI Alternatives article for a detailed Char vs Fireflies review.
Your choice of AI stack:
Managed cloud service ($25/mo), bring your own API keys, or run local models via Ollama. You choose which AI processes your data—not Fireflies.
Universal compatibility without bots:
Works with any meeting platform (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.) without joining your meetings as a bot. Records both your microphone and system audio directly, and works for in-person meetings too.
You control your data:
Export to Markdown, PDF, or rich text. Integrate with tools you already use like Obsidian or Attio. Connect to any AI provider you choose—OpenAI, Mistral, or custom endpoints. No vendor lock-in.
Built for compliance:
Meets HIPAA, GDPR, SOX, and other privacy requirements. Perfect for healthcare, legal, and financial professionals. No third-party data processors involved. Complete audit trail stays local.
Enterprise-ready:
On-premises deployment options, SSO integration and user management, custom branding available, and consent management built-in.
Unlike Fireflies, Char collects minimal, anonymous usage data that you can opt out of:
Char never collects your recordings, transcripts, notes, meeting participant information, conversations, or personal files.
Fireflies AI might seem convenient, but convenience comes at a steep privacy cost. Their extensive data collection, broad sharing permissions, minimal liability, and documented issues with user control make it risky for most business conversations.
If you need AI-powered meeting assistance, choose a solution with zero lock-in that gives you complete control. Char proves you don't have to sacrifice ownership for functionality.
Your conversations are valuable. Don't give them away for free.