Scale AI

AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems

Character.AI

AI chatbot platform for creating and chatting with AI characters

Scale AI

Strong

20/25

Character.AI

Caution

9/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionScale AICharacter.AI

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Scale AI: US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

Character.AI: All data hosted on US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option available. No regional hosting controls offered.

4/5

US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

2/5

All data hosted on US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option available. No regional hosting controls offered.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Scale AI: US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

Character.AI: US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction including CLOUD Act. No EU legal entity. Standard US privacy policy without GDPR-specific DPA.

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

2/5

US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction including CLOUD Act. No EU legal entity. Standard US privacy policy without GDPR-specific DPA.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Scale AI: Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

Character.AI: Conversations are retained and used for model training. Limited transparency on retention periods. No enterprise data deletion controls.

5/5

Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

2/5

Conversations are retained and used for model training. Limited transparency on retention periods. No enterprise data deletion controls.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Scale AI: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

Character.AI: No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other compliance certifications publicly disclosed. Consumer-focused platform without enterprise security certifications.

5/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

2/5

No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other compliance certifications publicly disclosed. Consumer-focused platform without enterprise security certifications.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Scale AI: Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

Character.AI: Consumer entertainment platform. Not designed for regulated industries. No enterprise compliance features, DPAs, or audit capabilities. Not suitable for handling sensitive or regulated data.

4/5

Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

1/5

Consumer entertainment platform. Not designed for regulated industries. No enterprise compliance features, DPAs, or audit capabilities. Not suitable for handling sensitive or regulated data.

Total Score

20/25

9/25

Best For

Scale AI

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Character.AI

Best for organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate); regulated industries (DoD, CISA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment; enterprises requiring SSO integration.

Detailed Comparison

Character.AI vs Scale AI: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Character.AI (Character.AI, US) scores 9/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. AI chatbot platform for creating and chatting with AI characters. Scale AI (Scale AI, US) scores 20/25 with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Scale AI leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Character.AI (2/5): All data hosted on US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option available. No regional hosting controls offered.

●Scale AI (4/5): US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Character.AI (2/5): US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction including CLOUD Act. No EU legal entity. Standard US privacy policy without GDPR-specific DPA.

●Scale AI (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

#### Data Retention & Training

Scale AI leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●Character.AI (2/5): Conversations are retained and used for model training. Limited transparency on retention periods. No enterprise data deletion controls.

●Scale AI (5/5): Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

#### Certifications

Scale AI leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●Character.AI (2/5): No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other compliance certifications publicly disclosed. Consumer-focused platform without enterprise security certifications.

●Scale AI (5/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

#### Regulatory Fit

Scale AI leads with 4/5 vs 1/5.

●Character.AI (1/5): Consumer entertainment platform. Not designed for regulated industries. No enterprise compliance features, DPAs, or audit capabilities. Not suitable for handling sensitive or regulated data.

●Scale AI (4/5): Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Character.AI	Scale AI
FedRAMP High	No	Yes
FedRAMP Moderate	No	Yes
ISO 27001	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	No	Yes

Overall Verdict

Scale AI has a clear trust advantage, scoring 20/25 compared to Character.AI's 9/25. Scale AI particularly excels in data residency, data retention & training, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Scale AI or Character.AI?

Scale AI has a TrustKit score of 20/25 while Character.AI scores 9/25. Scale AI currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Scale AI and Character.AI compare on data residency?

Scale AI scores 4/5 for data residency (US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project), while Character.AI scores 2/5 (All data hosted on US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option available. No regional hosting controls offered.).

Are Scale AI and Character.AI GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Scale AI has a regulatory fit score of 4/5 and Character.AI scores 1/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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