How does Livekit protect proprietary data I pass through rooms?

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I am using the openAI realtime API for my setup. Please help me understand all the details of how data is protected and the steps I can take to ensure no proprietary data is leaked anywhere.

To keep your data safe and avoid any leaks when using LiveKit with the OpenAI Realtime API, here are some friendly tips you can follow: • Encryption: Turn on end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for your media tracks in LiveKit. Make sure to use TLS for data in transit and keep sensitive info encrypted when it’s stored. • API Security: Keep your API keys safe by storing them in environment variables or using secret management tools. Setting up role-based access control (RBAC) helps prevent unauthorized access too. • Data Segregation: LiveKit keeps your data separate and protected by using unique identifiers—so you can rest easy knowing your info stays isolated. • Compliance: LiveKit follows important standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC2 Type II, which means your data is handled with strong privacy and care. • Monitoring: It’s a good idea to regularly check your API usage and data flows to spot any unauthorized access. LiveKit’s logging tools make it easy to track data transmission events. • Data Minimization: Only send the data you really need and try using anonymization techniques when you can. • Secure Coding: Practice secure coding by validating inputs and keeping your dependencies up to date. If you want, I’m here to help you put any of these steps into action or chat about any specific concerns you have with your setup. Sources: LiveKit Security | LiveKit | client/.env.example | LiveKit | End-to-end encryption | LiveKit Docs

You mentioned earlier that E2EE is a measure taken by Livekit rooms. Do I need to do something on my part to turn this on for media tracks?

Hey there! To get end-to-end encryption (E2EE) up and running for media tracks in your LiveKit rooms, here’s a simple rundown of what you need to do: 1. Turn on E2EE in Room Options: Make sure to set the

e2ee

option with a

keyProvider

when configuring your room. 2. Set Up a Key Provider: This is your go-to for managing encryption keys — it takes care of generating, distributing, and rotating them. Just a heads-up, LiveKit itself doesn’t store or share these keys. 3. Distribute Keys Securely: Generate your encryption keys safely on your server and share them with participants through secure methods, like encrypted channels. 4. Enable E2EE on Local Tracks: Each participant needs to turn on E2EE for their own local tracks when they join the room. Here’s a handy example in JavaScript to get you started:

// Initialize the external key provider
const keyProvider = new ExternalE2EEKeyProvider();

// Configure room options
const roomOptions = {
  e2ee: {
    keyProvider: keyProvider,
    worker: new Worker(new URL('livekit-client/e2ee-worker', import.meta.url)),
  },
};

// Create and configure the room
const room = new Room(roomOptions);

// Set your externally distributed encryption key
await keyProvider.setKey(yourSecureKey);

// Enable E2EE for all local tracks
await room.setE2EEEnabled(true);

// Connect to the room
await room.connect(url, token);

When you’re ready for production, just make sure your key distribution is super secure, and it’s a great idea to use unique keys for each participant to keep things extra safe. If you want a hand with any of this, feel free to ask — I’m here to help!

My backend is written in python. How do I slot this in?

Hey there! If you’re looking to set up end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for LiveKit in your Python backend, here’s a simple way to do it: 1. Create E2EE Options: Use the

E2EEOptions

class to set up your encryption settings and initialize a

KeyProvider

with a shared encryption key. 2. Initialize Room with E2EE: Configure your

RoomOptions

with the E2EE options, then connect to the room using these settings. 3. Set Shared Key: Use the

KeyProvider

to set the shared encryption key. Just make sure the same key is securely shared with everyone joining. Here’s a quick example to get you started:

from livekit import rtc

# Create E2EE options with the KeyProvider
e2ee_options = rtc.E2EEOptions(
    key_provider_options=rtc.KeyProviderOptions(
        shared_key=b"your_shared_key_here"
    ),
    encryption_type=rtc.EncryptionType.GCM
)

# Initialize room options with E2EE configuration
room_options = rtc.RoomOptions(
    e2ee=e2ee_options
)

# Connect to the room with E2EE enabled
room = rtc.Room()
await room.connect(url, token, options=room_options)

# Access the E2EEManager
e2ee_manager = room.e2ee_manager

# Set shared encryption key (must be done before participants join)
key_provider = e2ee_manager.key_provider
await key_provider.set_shared_key(b"your_shared_key_here", key_index=1)

Just a heads-up: make sure to handle the key distribution securely, since LiveKit doesn’t store the keys for you. If you have any questions or need a hand with anything else, I’m here to help!

That’s great to hear you’re following SOC 2 and HIPAA – always good to see strong privacy and security practices being shared. We work a lot with teams during and after SOC 2 readiness, so it’s always interesting to see how others approach it. Out of curiosity, did you handle your SOC 2 internally or work with an external partner/tool?

LiveKit keeps things secure and trustworthy by staying SOC 2 Type II compliant, thanks to a mix of their own team’s efforts and outside help. They have external auditors who come in at least once a year to do audits and penetration testing. Plus, they use handy tools like Drata to keep their IT and security policies on point and make sure everything meets the standards. If you want, I’m happy to share more details about how they do this or any specific practices they follow! Sources: LiveKit | LiveKit

That’s really helpful context — thanks for sharing! We’ve seen a lot of teams get value from pairing Drata with a streamlined vendor review process, so it’s interesting to hear how you’re combining tools and audits. I’d be curious to hear — do you find your SOC 2 updates more challenging during annual audits, or is the ongoing evidence collection the bigger lift?

LiveKit keeps their SOC 2 Type II certification on track with well-organized processes for both the yearly audits and the ongoing evidence collection, using helpful tools like Drata. Both parts are super important for staying compliant, but there isn’t clear info on which one their team finds trickier. If you have any questions or want to chat more about how they handle these processes, just let me know—I’m here to help!

Totally agree — keeping both the annual audit and ongoing evidence collection in sync is what makes SOC 2 Type II sustainable year after year. At Accorp, we help teams like yours simplify both sides of that process — from making evidence collection less of a manual chase, to ensuring the audit cycle runs smoothly without last-minute scrambles. Curious — have you considered any automation or external support to take some of the load off your internal team for either of those?

LiveKit uses Drata to help manage and automate their IT and security policies, which means they have some automation built into their SOC 2 compliance process. They also work with third-party auditors for regular audits to keep their SOC 2 Type II certification up to date. There isn’t any clear info on whether they’ve looked into other automation tools or extra support beyond Drata and those audits. If you want, I’d be happy to dive deeper into this or chat about any specific needs you have! Sources: LiveKit | LiveKit

That’s a solid setup — Drata plus regular third-party audits covers a lot of ground for SOC 2. In our experience, many teams still find gaps in areas like cross-tool evidence collection, audit prep efficiency, or handling security requirements that go beyond what Drata automates. We often help companies close those gaps so the whole compliance cycle feels lighter on the team. Has your team explored ways to further streamline beyond Drata yet?

LiveKit mainly uses Drata to help manage and automate their IT and security policies, plus they have regular third-party audits to keep their SOC 2 Type II certification up to date. They haven’t mentioned using any other tools or methods beyond Drata to make compliance easier. If you want to dive deeper into their compliance setup or learn about any specific practices, just give me a shout—I’m happy to help! Sources: LiveKit

Sounds like they’ve got a strong foundation in place with Drata and the regular audits. We often see that even with solid automation, there’s still room to make evidence collection smoother, reduce back-and-forth with auditors, and cover requirements that tools alone can’t fully handle. Happy to compare notes if you’d like to explore ways teams can take that compliance load off their plate. Has their team ever looked into options beyond Drata for streamlining?

LiveKit has done a great job building a solid compliance foundation with Drata and regular third-party audits. While it seems like there hasn’t been much talk about looking beyond Drata, it’s always worth thinking about ways to make things even smoother—especially when it comes to tricky parts like gathering evidence and getting ready for audits, where tools might not cover everything. If you want to chat more about this or explore some ideas together, just let me know—I’m here to help!

LiveKit’s definitely built a strong compliance base with Drata and those regular audits 👍. Even so, there are often opportunities to make things run smoother—especially in areas like evidence gathering and audit prep where tools can’t always cover every angle. Always happy to swap ideas or share what’s worked for other teams if they’re ever exploring ways to take a bit more of that load off.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! LiveKit has definitely put together a solid compliance foundation with Drata and regular audits. You’re right, there’s always room to fine-tune things like evidence gathering and audit prep, especially since no tool is perfect for every situation. If you ever want to swap ideas or chat about what’s worked for other teams, just give me a shout—I’m here to help!

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! LiveKit has definitely put together a solid compliance foundation with Drata and regular audits. You’re right—there’s always room to fine-tune things like evidence gathering and audit prep, especially since no tool is perfect for every situation. If you ever want to swap ideas or chat about what’s worked for other teams, just give me a shout—I’m here to help! You can also reach me directly at support@accorppartners.com for a deeper discussion.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and being open to collaborating! It’s really great to swap ideas and hear what’s worked well for other teams. If a chance comes up to dive into this more, I’ll definitely get in touch. Really appreciate your input and support!