--- title: "Customer data rules for AI functions" description: "Set customer data rules for AI functions with purpose limits, approved accounts, access checks, retention decisions, and privacy duties where they apply." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/customer-data-rules-ai-functions" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # What customer data can an AI function use Allow an AI function to use customer data only after defining its purpose, permitted fields, approved destination, access rules, and retention instructions. Check the applicable agreements and law before connecting the records. Start with one function. A weekly account summary might need project status and open questions. Write down whether it needs names, contact information, attachments, or message history. Exclude fields that have no approved role in the task. The decision should follow the data through the whole job: source, model request, temporary storage, output, review, receipt, and deletion. Approval to read a record should have a clear scope at each step. ## Write the purpose before selecting records Name the result, the reader, and the decision it supports. Preparing a draft account update is a bounded purpose. Helping with customers is too broad to decide which records belong in the function. For each proposed field, ask what part of the task fails without it. Record the answer. Where a reference number can support the task, test whether the name or full message body can stay out. The FTC's security guidance recommends keeping only needed personal information, controlling access, reviewing service providers, and disposing of information no longer needed. Use those principles when designing the data path. [FTC Start with Security, checked 2026.10.26](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/start-security-guide-business) The existing guide to [client data in AI memory](/articles/client-data-in-ai-agent-memory) addresses which facts deserve persistent use. Here, apply the rule to every copy produced during one function's work. ## Map where the data will travel Draw a short list of the source system, retrieval step, model account, temporary files, output folder, reviewer, and receipt location. Add any search service, storage service, or fallback model the function might use. For each destination, identify the account owner and the person permitted to change its settings. Record whether the step receives raw customer content, selected fields, or a reference. Keep normal and failure paths on the map. Ask where a failed request goes for debugging and whether its input appears in an alert. Include backups and exported reports when they contain copies. Use the map to review the proposed function before connection. If a destination is unknown, keep that path disabled until the accountable owner makes a decision. ## Separate permission to access from permission to reuse Document which function may read which records for which purpose. Include the customer or client boundary, allowed staff roles, approved account, and required reviewer. Do not make a general training collection from customer work by default. If a firm wants to reuse a procedure, review it separately and remove customer-specific details before promoting it to a shared method. Use [separate client context](/articles/separate-client-context-before-agent-work) when one firm serves multiple businesses. Require an explicit client identifier before retrieval and restrict output to the same client's approved destination. Test the boundary with invented records carrying distinctive harmless values. Try to retrieve one client's value through another client's function. Require a recorded denial and inspect the output for unintended inclusion. ## Review the specific vendor account and service Ask the responsible owner to check the current agreement and documentation for the exact service receiving data. Record permitted uses, retention, access, deletion, subprocessors, and any required location restrictions. Do not treat a brand name or paid account as a complete data-handling decision. Link the approval to the account, service, task, and data class it covers. Review fallback routes separately. A request to try another model can introduce another destination. Require an approved path before enabling that behavior with customer information. Keep credentials outside task instructions and memory files. Have the connection use the least access needed for the job. Test that the function cannot read excluded folders or change records when its role is draft preparation. ## Check state privacy obligations before making promises For California, first determine whether the CCPA applies to the business and the information involved. The Attorney General's guidance describes covered businesses and consumer rights. Coverage requires a scope check. [California Attorney General CCPA guidance, checked 2026.10.26](https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa) The Attorney General explains that consumers may ask covered businesses to delete personal information collected from them and tell service providers to do the same. Exceptions apply. Do not promise unconditional deletion from every system. [California Attorney General, deletion guidance, checked 2026.10.26](https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa#sectiond) Have the responsible privacy owner document which requirements apply and translate them into the function's runbook. Avoid extending this California example into a claim about every state or business. Design the records so that owner can find related copies and route a request through the approved process. Record the decision, actions taken, and any applicable exception without exposing the customer's information more widely. ## Apply HIPAA only where the relationship requires it HIPAA is not the rule for every customer database. HHS describes covered entities and business associates in its cloud guidance. For those relationships, a cloud provider creating, receiving, maintaining, or transmitting electronic protected health information can be a business associate. HHS says this can apply even when the provider lacks the encryption key. Its guidance calls for an appropriate business associate agreement and compliance with the applicable HIPAA requirements. [HHS cloud guidance, checked 2026.10.26](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/health-information-technology/cloud-computing/index.html) If that situation applies, have the responsible compliance owner review the full path before connecting records. Keep the function away from protected records until the necessary review and controls are complete. ## Give each copy a retention decision Define what each step keeps, why it keeps it, who can access it, and when it enters review or deletion. Distinguish source records, working copies, accepted outputs, and run receipts. Use a business-approved schedule suited to the record and applicable requirements. Do not choose one universal number of days for every customer field. Record who handles exceptions and preservation requirements. Keep the receipt small. Prefer record references, versions, work status, and review results over complete message bodies. Confirm whether the references themselves need restricted access. The [memory retention and deletion guide](/articles/ai-memory-retention-and-deletion-policy) provides a related design. Extend its inventory to the temporary files and vendor-side copies identified on your data map. ## Verify removal and changes through a controlled process Test removal with invented records before handling a real request. Find the record in the approved source, working output, search index, receipt, and other mapped destinations. Require a result for each location: removed, retained under the approved rule, unavailable for direct verification, or pending. Do not claim complete removal from a system you cannot inspect or whose terms do not support that claim. Protect the request itself. Route identity verification and sensitive details through the established privacy process. Give the function only the permission and information needed for its assigned step. When a vendor, model route, or storage service changes, repeat the data-path review. Preserve the previous approval so the owner can explain which records used which path. ## Make the handoff prove the rules work Ask for tests covering allowed access, denied access, wrong-client retrieval, restricted fields, unexpected attachments, failure logging, and retention handling. Use invented data where possible. Train the reviewer to spot information that does not belong in the output. Give them a clear reporting route and the authority to pause the affected function. Record the correction and test it before resuming that path. The [AI systems method](/ai-systems) starts with a defined function, business-owned records, and human direction and review. Bring the function and its permitted data classes to [the work scope form](/work). ## Related: Owned Memory - [What Client Data Belongs in AI Agent Memory?](/articles/client-data-in-ai-agent-memory) - [Separate Client Context Before an Agent Touches the Work](/articles/separate-client-context-before-agent-work) - [AI Memory Retention and Deletion Policy for a Small Business](/articles/ai-memory-retention-and-deletion-policy) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```