Live chat security: why data protection matters for your website chat

Why security matters in live chat

When a visitor starts a chat on your website, they share information. It might be a simple question, but it could also be a name, email address, order number, or even payment details. If your chat solution doesn't properly secure this data, you're vulnerable to data breaches, phishing attacks, and privacy violations. In 2026, customers expect businesses to take their data seriously. A single data breach can permanently damage customer trust.

A single data breach through your live chat can permanently damage customer trust.

The risks of insecure website chat

Not all live chat software is equal when it comes to security. With free chat solutions, conversations are sometimes stored on servers outside the EU, without encryption or with third-party access. This creates multiple risks: GDPR violations, loss of customer trust, potential regulatory fines, and reputational damage. Some providers even use chat data to display ads or sell to third parties. And without tools to stop unwanted behaviour, your agents are exposed to abuse, spam, and inappropriate messages.

How uWebChat handles security

uWebChat runs entirely on Microsoft Azure infrastructure. This means all chat communication flows through Microsoft's secure cloud—the same infrastructure that protects Microsoft Teams. A key difference: uWebChat doesn't store chat conversations. Messages are forwarded directly to Microsoft Teams and are only accessible within your own Microsoft 365 tenant. There's no external database where conversations are kept, drastically reducing the risk of data breaches.

Ban visitors: instant protection against abuse

Chat is anonymous by default, which makes it vulnerable to abuse. Think of spam, inappropriate messages, or visitors harassing your agents. uWebChat gives agents the ability to ban a visitor directly from the conversation. With a single click, the visitor's IP address is blocked and they can no longer start a new chat. Administrators can also configure a country blocklist to completely block chat requests from certain regions. This protects your team from unwanted traffic and ensures agents can focus on genuine customers.

With one click, an agent can ban a visitor. The IP address is blocked immediately and the visitor can no longer start a new conversation.

Visitor authentication: know who you're chatting with

One of the biggest challenges with live chat is that you don't know who's on the other side. Someone could pretend to be a customer, an employee, or anyone else. uWebChat solves this with powerful authentication features. Before a chat begins, the visitor can be asked to verify their identity through a 4-digit code sent by email or a one-time code via SMS. Only after successful verification does the conversation start. This is essential for situations where sensitive information is exchanged, such as account details, invoices, or personal records. The agent can see directly in the conversation that the visitor has been verified, allowing for confident communication.

Visitors verify their identity via email or SMS before the chat starts. You always know who you're communicating with.

GDPR compliance and live chat for your website

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict requirements for how businesses process personal data. For live chat on your website, this means: you must be transparent about what data you collect, you need a data processing agreement with your chat provider, data should preferably be processed in the EU, and visitors must give consent. uWebChat meets these requirements because all data stays within the Microsoft Azure EU region and no separate data storage takes place. With optional custom fields, you can control exactly what data you collect from visitors, and nothing more.

With uWebChat, all data stays within your own Microsoft 365 tenant. No external databases, no third-party data storage.

Security vs. ease of use

A common objection is that secure solutions are complicated. That doesn't have to be the case. With uWebChat, you answer chats directly from Microsoft Teams—the tool your team already uses daily. No extra login, no separate dashboard, no complex configuration needed. Security is built into the architecture, not into extra steps for the user. Banning, authentication, and country blocking are all available with just a few clicks. Plus, the chat widget works on any website, whether you use WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, or any other platform.

Checklist: what to look for in secure live chat

Before choosing a chat solution for your website, check these points: Where is chat data stored? (Preferably in the EU.) Are conversations encrypted? Is the provider GDPR-compliant? Does the provider offer a data processing agreement? Is data shared with third parties? Can you control what visitor data is collected? Is a country blocklist available? Can agents ban unwanted visitors? Can you authenticate visitors before a chat starts? With uWebChat, you can answer all of these questions positively.