Secure Transcription: Why Encryption Is Indispensable for Audio Files
Audio and video recordings are among the most sensitive data that companies process. Whether medical dictation, lawyer conversations, board meetings or journalistic interviews – the content is often confidential, sometimes even legally protected. Even so, millions of users upload their recordings to transcription platforms every day without knowing what happens to their data.
The problem: server-side processing without encryption
Most transcription providers process audio files in plain text on their servers. That means: your recordings sit unencrypted on third-party machines – often in data centers outside the EU. The provider’s employees, cloud administrators or, in the worst case, attackers can access the content.
Even more problematic: many providers use uploaded recordings to train their AI models. Your confidential conversations thus flow into a system that is used by third parties.
The GDPR perspective
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. For audio recordings that contain voices and often also names, diagnoses or trade secrets, this protection is particularly critical.
Processing on US servers without encryption can be problematic under European law – especially since the Schrems II ruling, which declared the Privacy Shield invalid.
Client-side encryption: the difference
Client-side encryption means: your audio file is encrypted directly in your browser before it reaches the server. Transcripts are stored encrypted. Even in the event of a data breach, the content is worthless without your personal key.
With client-side encryption, the audio file is encrypted in the user’s browser before it reaches the server. The transcript is also stored encrypted and can be decrypted only by the user themselves.
In concrete terms, this means:
- No employee of the provider can read your transcripts
- No hacker can capture plain text in the event of a data breach
- No AI models are trained on your data
- No cloud administrator has access to the content
How scryp implements this
scryp encrypts every audio file with AES-256-GCM directly in your browser. Each file gets its own encryption key. This key is encrypted with your personal master key, which in turn is derived from your password.
The finished transcript is stored encrypted and can be decrypted only by you. Original audio files are automatically deleted after processing. Only encrypted data is permanently stored on our servers – even we cannot read it.
Who is this relevant for?
Encrypted transcription is particularly important for:
- Medical practices and clinics – Patient conversations and dictation are subject to medical confidentiality
- Law firms – Client conversations are protected by attorney-client privilege
- Companies – Board minutes, strategy discussions and HR interviews contain trade secrets
- Journalists – Source protection requires that interview recordings do not fall into the wrong hands
- Researchers – Interviews with study participants are subject to ethical guidelines
Conclusion
Anyone who transcribes audio files is almost always processing sensitive data. Server-side encryption alone is not enough – because the provider still has access. Only client-side encryption ensures that your stored data truly belongs to you alone.