CommunicationsWhova and the GDPR: agreement, role and data location.
Whova is a communications tool. Its role depends on the activity, it explains how to get its data processing agreement, and it usually keeps data in United States. Below: what to check and how to declare it.
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In short
- Category
- Communications
- Usual role
- Depends on the activity
- Data location
- Usually United States
- Agreement
- Obtained through the vendor
What does Whova do with personal data?
Send text messages, verification codes and notifications, and handle phone calls with customers. That is how Privacyboard describes a typical use of Whova, as a starting point you can edit.
The data usually involved: phone numbers, Messages & support requests, call metadata, delivery status
Is Whova a processor or a controller?
Whova says it may act as controller when attendees use its app beyond an organizer's event or for its own research.
Privacyboard does not prefill a role for this vendor on purpose. You are asked to choose, since the answer changes what your privacy policy says and which agreement matters.
Where does Whova store personal data?
Whova usually keeps data in United States for every customer on its standard service, so there is normally nothing to choose. Privacyboard prefills this and you can change it if your setup differs.
What Whova says (read on 2026-11-05): systems, servers and databases “located in the U.S.” Source: https://whova.com/privacy/
How to find yours: Check the account’s region settings or the provider’s data processing terms.
If the data is processed outside the European Economic Area, Articles 44 to 49 require a transfer mechanism, such as standard contractual clauses, an adequacy decision or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Your privacy policy should name it.
Which legal basis usually applies to Whova?
For the usual use of Whova, companies most often rely on performance of a contract and legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)). Verification codes and service notifications are part of delivering the service; keeping logs rests on a legitimate interest.
The interest you would state: “Keeping a record of our communications to resolve disputes and improve our service.” The GDPR asks you to say which interest you pursue (Article 13(1)(d)).
Marketing texts and calls to individuals need consent. The balancing test is yours to do: the interest must be real, the processing necessary for it, and people’s rights must not outweigh it.
This is a starting point, not legal advice: the basis belongs to your activity, and you confirm it in your register.
Sources: GDPR Article 6, lawfulness of processing, EDPB Guidelines 1/2024 on legitimate interest
Does Whova have a data processing agreement?
Checked on 5 November 2026. Vendors change their pages, so check the date.
Whova does not publish the full text of its data processing agreement on a public page. The reference page explains how a customer gets or signs it, usually from inside the account. Article 28 of the GDPR still requires a written contract, so get it and keep a copy.
What we noted when we opened the page: Privacy policy section 9.2 sets organizer terms where Whova, Inc. (San Diego) is processor and the organizer controller, with EU SCCs (Processors) and DPF certification. No separate public DPA found.
A page that exists does not mean you are covered. Whether the agreement applies to you depends on your plan and on what you accepted, so record the decision yourself in your vendor list.
Open the Whova reference pageHow to declare Whova
- 1
In your privacy policy
Name Whova as a recipient, say what it is used for (send text messages, verification codes and notifications, and handle phone calls with customers) and mention any transfer outside the EEA. Articles 13 and 14 ask you to tell people who receives their data.
- 2
In your vendor list
Add Whova with its purpose, the data involved, its role, its region and a link to the agreement. Privacyboard prefills all of this, you confirm or correct it.
- 3
In your processing register
Link Whova to the activities that use it, so each record shows its recipients. Article 30 asks the register to list the categories of recipients.
What to check before relying on Whova
- Confirm the region and any transfer outside the EEA.
- Keep the agreement text you accepted and its date.
- List the provider in your privacy policy and your processing register.
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Questions, answered.
Is Whova GDPR compliant?
Privacyboard does not certify vendors. Compliance depends on how Whova is configured and used, on the agreement you have with it and on your own practices. What can be checked is documented here: it explains how to get a data processing agreement, the usual role and the data location. Read the agreement itself before relying on it.
Does Whova have a DPA?
Whova does not publish the full text of its data processing agreement on a public page. The reference page explains how a customer gets or signs it, usually from inside the account. Article 28 of the GDPR still requires a written contract, so get it and keep a copy. The reference page is https://whova.com/privacy/.
Is Whova a data processor?
It depends on the activity. Whova says it may act as controller when attendees use its app beyond an organizer's event or for its own research.
Which legal basis applies when I use Whova?
For the usual use of Whova, companies most often rely on performance of a contract and legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)). Verification codes and service notifications are part of delivering the service; keeping logs rests on a legitimate interest. The interest you would state: “Keeping a record of our communications to resolve disputes and improve our service.” The GDPR asks you to say which interest you pursue (Article 13(1)(d)).
Where does Whova store data?
Whova usually keeps data in United States for every customer on its standard service, so there is normally nothing to choose. Privacyboard prefills this and you can change it if your setup differs. What Whova says (read on 2026-11-05): systems, servers and databases “located in the U.S.” Source: https://whova.com/privacy/
Do I need to mention Whova in my privacy policy?
Yes, if Whova handles personal data for you. The GDPR asks you to tell people who receives their data (Articles 13 and 14). Name the vendor or its category, say what it is used for and mention any transfer outside the EEA.
How do I add Whova to my vendor list?
In Privacyboard, pick Whova from the catalog. The purpose, the data, the suggested role and a link to its agreement are prefilled, and you confirm each one. Creating a workspace is free.
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Privacyboard is not affiliated with Whova. Names and logos belong to their owners and are used only to identify the tool. This page summarises public documents as checked on 1 November 2026; it is guidance, not legal advice, and it does not certify any vendor.