Can You Get Confidential Transcription From AI? — Don’t Be So Sure

Confidential Transcription With AI? A Dangerous Assumption

When you upload your audio files to an AI transcription platform, do you know where they go? Do you assume that your data remains private and secure? If so, you may be in for a surprise.

Most AI transcription companies do not guarantee confidentiality—in fact, their own terms of service often state the exact opposite. Some providers explicitly reserve the right to store, use, and even distribute your data for purposes that go beyond creating and delivering a transcription.

What You’re Agreeing To (Without Realizing It)

One of the most well-known AI transcription companies has a Privacy Policy and Terms of Service that raise serious red flags. A close look at their agreement reveals that:

✅ They store, analyze, and process your work indefinitely.
✅ They use client-submitted work to train and improve their language models.
✅ They claim a broad license to copy, reproduce, distribute, and modify uploaded content.

Check out this screenshot from their Terms of Service, which highlights their right to use customer-uploaded transcriptions to enhance their AI systems:

This means that once you upload your files, you lose control over how they are used. Your sensitive conversations, confidential interviews, and private discussions are no longer just yours—they become part of a vast data pool used to refine AI algorithms.

Why This Matters for Confidentiality

If you’re working with confidential or sensitive information, trusting an AI transcription service without clear, legally binding confidentiality agreements could put you at risk. Here’s why:

• Rights of Use: The AI provider has the legal right to use your files from the moment you submit them.
• Unknown Third-Party Access: Your files may be shared with partners, developers, and other third-party entities without your explicit consent.
• Long-Term Storage Risks: Your work could be stored indefinitely and potentially repurposed in ways you did not intend.

This raises major concerns for professionals in fields such as marketing, technology, healthcare, law enforcement, and academic research. Imagine an attorney using AI transcription for a deposition, only to later discover that sensitive case details were incorporated into an AI model. Or a researcher conducting a confidential study, only to realize that their participants’ statements are now part of an AI dataset.

How to Protect Your Confidential Work

If you need confidential transcription, AI isn’t a risk you can afford. Here’s how to safeguard your sensitive work:

✅ Read the fine print—Don’t assume a service is confidential. Always check the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
✅ Look for verified security certifications—SOC 2, HIPAA, and other security frameworks indicate a provider takes confidentiality seriously.
✅ Use only human-powered transcription services with strict confidentiality agreements—A service that doesn’t store or use your files offers the most protection.

🚨 Before trusting AI transcription, make sure you understand the risks.

📖 For a full breakdown of AI’s confidentiality gaps, download our free report:
📥 How Safe is AI for Qualitative Research?

👉 Or read more about how AI compromises security in our next post:
📍 AI Transcription Security Risks No One Talks About

Get in touch with us to learn how human transcription specialists in the U.S. can deliver the accuracy and security that your work demands.