OpenRouter video is ZDR-ineligible: what Sume says about retention

If your security review requires Zero Data Retention, neither route gives you a ZDR video path. OpenRouter states that video generation is not eligible for ZDR because the work is asynchronous and the provider must keep the output briefly so you can retrieve it. Sume's docs list video generation as ZDR-ineligible and say Sume has no ZDR toggle. The honest answer for a buyer is that video output is stored long enough to be fetched, and the exact retention terms belong in a contract or privacy review, not in this post.

Read on 2026-10-01: OpenRouter's video generation guide and Sume's Video Generation docs, which link to the privacy docs.

Why can't an async video job be zero-retention?

A text request can stream back and be forgotten. A video job returns a job id and a polling URL, then you come back to download the file. Between those two moments something has to hold the bytes. OpenRouter's wording is that the provider must retain the output briefly so you can retrieve it after generation completes. Sume's poll response has the same shape: polling_url, unsigned_urls and a /content endpoint.

What can you control?

You can limit what goes in and how long you keep what comes out on your side. Download the file as soon as the job is completed, store it in your own bucket, and avoid sending sensitive source video or faces unless your policy allows it. Use an Idempotency-Key so a retry does not create a second paid job with a second copy of the output.

• Send only the reference media the shot needs.
• Download on completion and store it under your own retention policy.
• Do not put secrets or personal data in prompts.
• Ask for the written retention terms before signing off a regulated use.

Limits

This post does not state how long Sume keeps generated video, because the docs I read do not give a number. Treat any figure you hear elsewhere as unverified until you see it in writing.