GDPR-compliant RAG: the 2026 checklist
For a GDPR-compliant RAG, check ten points: EU hosting, no use of your data for training, platform-managed AI with credits included (SaaS) or BYOK for Agency/ESN licenses, DPA, audit log, right to erasure, encryption, minimization, access control and EU subprocessors.
GDPR doesn't mention RAG, but its principles apply as soon as your documents contain personal data. Here's the concrete checklist to choose or configure a compliant RAG platform, and where IgnitionRAG stands on each point.
The architecture point that matters most
Data residency. Hosting in France (or the EU) reduces exposure to the US Cloud Act. On SaaS Solo/Team, AI is platform-managed with credits included (model calls go through the platform infrastructure). BYOK, reserved for Agency/ESN licenses, avoids transit through the platform's accounts: your LLM calls use your own keys.
The 10 points to verify
- ✓Indexing hosted in France or the EU.
- ✓No use of your data to train models.
- ✓Platform-managed AI with credits included (SaaS). BYOK, reserved for Agency/ESN licenses, avoids transit through the platform's accounts.
- ✓DPA (Data Processing Agreement) available.
- ✓Audit log of accesses and retrievals.
- ✓Effective right to erasure on indexed documents.
- ✓Encryption of data at rest and in transit.
- ✓Minimization: index only the documents you need.
- ✓Per-tenant / per-role access control.
- ✓Subprocessors and object storage located in the EU.
FAQ
Is a France-hosted RAG automatically GDPR compliant?
EU hosting is necessary but not sufficient. You also need a DPA, right to erasure, an audit log, encryption and access management. IgnitionRAG covers these; the Agency/ESN license deploys on the client's infrastructure (Azure, AWS or GCP) or on IgnitionAI's.
Does BYOK (available for Agency/ESN licenses) change anything for GDPR?
Yes. With BYOK (Agency/ESN licenses), your LLM calls use your own keys and your data doesn't transit through the platform's accounts. You keep control of the model provider and where processing happens. For SaaS Solo/Team, AI is platform-managed with credits included.
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