What is zero data retention (ZDR)?

Zero data retention (ZDR) is the claim that an AI endpoint does not keep the prompt, the completion, or other residue of a request after the call finishes.

OpenAI first-party API, ZDR approved zero data retention: terms and exceptions

Q: What is the ZDR score for OpenAI first-party API, ZDR approved?

On zdr.dev the published score is ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A. No content retention; store forced false. CSAM image scan retains flagged inputs; Eyes Off / Safety Retention allow per-model downgrade with notice; stateful endpoints ineligible; videos endpoint blocked.

ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A

Short answer

No content retention; store forced false. CSAM image scan retains flagged inputs; Eyes Off / Safety Retention allow per-model downgrade with notice; stateful endpoints ineligible; videos endpoint blocked.

Scope and evidence

Provider	OpenAI
Service	first-party API, ZDR approved
Lane	ZDR
Origin	US United States
License	proprietary
Hosting	Provider-hosted
Score	ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A Contractual ZDR. Paper ZDR: no content retention by agreement, with typed carve-outs in force
Evidence	Contractual agreement reviewed (A: contractual (DPA/agreement-backed))
Source-review date	2026-08-24 (registry)

Other lanes for OpenAI

ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · Aopenai/api · zdr orgZDR

ZDR 2.0 (f,h) · Bopenai/api · defaultAPI default

Structured breakdown

Default posture: no content retention; store forced false
Exceptions and carve-outs: CSAM image scan retains flagged inputs; Eyes Off / Safety Retention allow per-model downgrade with notice; stateful endpoints ineligible; videos endpoint blocked

Approval and setup path

Approval and setup path not yet reviewed.

Flags on this record

s: safety-flag retention beyond base window
f: stateful-feature carve-outs (files, batch, threads, caching, grounding)
r: revocable: provider reserves unilateral downgrade

Practical questions for your agreement

Does your signed agreement cover this exact service, model set, and feature path?
Which retention, logging, and human-review exceptions still apply after any ZDR election?
What configuration evidence (flags, project settings, store defaults) confirms the posture you expect?
Do your customer commitments match what the reviewed evidence supports?

Does your agreement cover this deployment?

We can review the relevant terms, feature choices, and customer commitments, then help your team identify what to clarify or negotiate.

Speak to a ZDR expert about OpenAI

Sources

Trust and security

Trust Portal trust.openai.com
Security openai.com

Posture ledger

2026-08-24

seeded

ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A

Seeded from published documentation.

Full key on the scale. Method notes on methodology. Notation is always ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A.