Transcribe a Meeting: Automatically and GDPR-Compliant

Transcribing meetings, i.e. having meetings automatically recorded, can be incredibly handy. No more handwritten protocols, no more forgotten tasks: an AI listens and records everything.

But in Germany especially, the question arises: Is this even allowed under data protection law? Can you simply record meetings? And what about sensitive data being sent to third-party cloud servers?

In this article, I’ll explain how to transcribe meetings automatically — and in full compliance with GDPR. Step by step, and easy to understand.

Why Transcribe Meetings?

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s briefly address the “why”:

• Complete documentation: A transcript captures everything — not just bullet notes. No information is lost.
• Better focus during meetings: When AI takes notes, participants can focus fully on the conversation — and read everything calmly afterwards.
• Automatic logs & to-dos: Tools like Sally AI generate summaries and task lists from conversations. This saves time.
• Accessibility & search: Transcripts make meetings more accessible (e.g. for people with hearing loss) and allow keyword searching.

If you want to benefit from these advantages, two things matter: the right technology and the legal rules. Let’s go through both.

Step 1: Obtain Consent (Legal Requirement)

Even before you hit record or start transcription, there’s one key step: Get everyone’s consent.

Under the GDPR, meeting recordings and transcriptions count as processing personal data. That means: You need a legal basis.

In practice, that’s usually explicit consent. Here's how to handle it:

• Announce it in advance: Mention it clearly in the meeting invite. For example: “Note: This meeting will be recorded and transcribed for documentation purposes.”
• Ask at the start: Begin the call by saying something like: “Is it okay with everyone if our AI tool records this meeting? The data will remain confidential.” Get active confirmation — either verbally or with a show of hands.
• Document consent: Make a note in the meeting record, e.g. “All participants agreed to the transcription.” That way, you’re covered.
• Respect dissent: If someone doesn’t agree, you can’t force it. Options:
  • Skip the recording
  • Convince them later
  • Take manual notes instead

Recording without consent is a data protection violation — and could lead to serious complaints.

Exceptions: There may be special cases (e.g. a works agreement or public events). But for everyday work meetings, consent is the safest and most transparent way.

So now that everyone has agreed, it’s time for the tech part.

Step 2: Select the Right Transcription Tool (Compliant with Data Protection Regulations) ✓

The market offers a variety of AI notetakers and transcription services. But beware: not all of them are harmless from a GDPR perspective. Many well-known tools store data on US servers, where EU-level data protection is not guaranteed.

Examples:

• Otter.ai — Offers real-time transcription but is hosted in the USA. That’s problematic under strict GDPR rules.
• Zoom Cloud Recording/Transcription — Server location depends on account type; free accounts often store recordings globally distributed.

Thankfully, there are alternatives designed with data protection in mind:

• Sally AI (Germany): An AI meeting assistant that runs on EU servers and was developed specifically with GDPR in mind. It transcribes meetings and creates summaries, while keeping all data in Europe.
• Amberscript (Netherlands): Not a meeting bot, but a platform for GDPR-compliant transcription of uploads, including human proofreading if needed.

Talk to your IT or data protection officer to clarify usage in your organization. Key points:

• Choose a tool with EU-based servers.
• Read privacy policies carefully.
• If needed, sign a data processing agreement (AVV)

Once you’ve chosen a privacy-compliant tool, it’s time to set it up and start recording.

Step 3: Set Up the Tool and Record the Meeting (Automatically) ✓

Here comes the practical part: How does the transcription technically work? It depends on the tool, but there are two common approaches:

Option A: AI Meeting Assistant (e.g., Sally)

You connect the tool to your calendar or video conference platform. Here's how it usually works:

• You give the tool calendar access, and it automatically joins scheduled meetings.
• Or you invite the bot (e.g., “Sally AI”) as a guest participant in the calendar invite.

At the start of the meeting:

• The bot joins as an additional participant.
• You’ll often see a recording message, like “This meeting is being recorded” — good for transparency.

During the meeting:

• The AI transcribes in the background.
• Some tools display live subtitles, others don’t.

Tip: Let participants know who the “mystery guest” is (e.g., “That’s our meeting assistant — it’s logging the conversation”)

After the meeting:

• The bot leaves
• You receive the transcript and summary by email or in-app, often just minutes later.

Option B: Record + Transcribe Later (e.g. via Amberscript or Offline Tools)

If you don’t use a live bot, you can simply record the meeting (e.g., with Zoom, Teams, etc.). But again: get consent first!

After the meeting:

• You receive an audio or video file (MP4, M4A, etc.)

Then:

• Upload the file to a GDPR-compliant transcription service, such as Amberscript.
• Or use an offline tool like NoScribe or Whisper, which keeps everything local on your device.

The tool will then process the recording and return the transcript.

In both methods, clear communication is crucial — everyone should know that transcription is taking place. Fortunately, this is usually obvious (e.g., Zoom shows a red dot and “Recording…” message).

In the next step, we’ll explain what to do with the transcript and how to handle it safely and professionally.

Step 4: After the Meeting — Handling the Transcript

You now have a transcript of your meeting. What’s next?

Review and correct: Even if the AI gets 90% of it right, it’s still worth reviewing. Mistakes can slip in, especially with names or technical terms.

• Example: “Frau Römer” becomes “Frau Rome.” That needs fixing, especially if you’re distributing the minutes.

Review the summary: Tools like Sally generate automatic summaries. Check if they accurately capture the key points. AI tends to do this well, but a quick verification helps ensure nothing important was missed or misunderstood.

Remove confidential details: If the transcript includes sensitive information (e.g., personal numbers, medical data), decide whether parts should be redacted or excluded from shared versions.

• GDPR compliance in recording doesn’t mean you can freely distribute everything. Follow this rule: Only share what’s necessary.

Storage and access: Define where the transcript is stored — e.g. in a company drive or project tool. Make sure only authorized people have access.

• Many tools offer auto-delete after a set period — activate this to avoid storing data longer than needed.

Usage: Now the transcript becomes truly useful. You can:

• Summarize highlights in an email.
• Extract exact quotes for reports.
• Transfer open items to a to-do list

Some tools (like Sally AI) do this automatically:

• Tasks are detected and listed.
• Tasks and Information can be sent directly to over 5000 platforms via integrations

With that, your meeting is fully transcribed, legally secure, and ready for productive follow-up.

Privacy Tips When Using Meeting Transcription

In addition to obtaining consent, there are a few more best practices to ensure GDPR-compliant usage of transcription tools:

Data economy: Don’t transcribe every meeting just because you can. You likely don’t need a detailed transcript for a 5-minute standup. Evaluate where transcription adds real value — and where it’s unnecessary.

Staff training: Make sure all team members using transcription tools understand the rules — e.g.:

• Consent is mandatory
• Sensitive data shouldn’t be uploaded to non-compliant tools

Guarantee confidentiality: If needed, add a note to meeting invites stating that transcripts are confidential and will not be shared beyond the group.

Technical measures: Prefer tools that offer:

• End-to-end encryption
• Local or EU storage

Some services even support self-hosting (i.e. running the AI assistant on your own servers). This is the most privacy-friendly option, though more complex to set up.

No obligation for employees: Especially in sensitive areas (like HR), you cannot force anyone to be transcribed. Respect concerns. Alternatives:

• Transcribe without names
• Summarize outcomes only, not exact quotes

Example: GDPR-Compliant Transcription Tool in Action

Let’s say your team uses Sally AI:

• Before the first use, the project manager explains:“We’re now using an AI assistant to record our meetings. The data stays on German servers and we comply with GDPR. Let me know if you have concerns.”
• Everyone agrees.
• During the meeting, “Sally” appears as a participant.
• The meeting proceeds as usual.

After the meeting:

• Each participant receives a password-protected email with a link to the summary and transcript
• The summary includes:
  • 5 bullet points with key decisions
  • Assigned tasks (e.g. “Max – send slides by Friday”)
  • Full transcript with speaker attributions
• The content can also be synced to a CRM or project tool

For storage:

• The team lead uploads the PDF transcript to a secure internal drive, accessible only to meeting participants
• After 2 months, the transcript is automatically deleted from the Sally server (thanks to built-in retention settings)

Result: The meeting is properly documented — while data privacy is fully preserved.

Conclusion: Automatic & Data Protection Compliant. It Works!

Writing down an entire meeting no longer has to be a manual chore. Automatic transcription tools offer a convenient way to capture every conversation.

At the same time, strict data protection regulations in Europe remain a priority, but they don’t prevent the use of such tools. They simply require a bit of care:

• Get permission: Never record without consent. This is the #1 rule.
• Choose the right tool: Prefer EU-based or GDPR-compliant services.
• Ensure transparency and control: Inform all participants and manage the transcript — store or delete responsibly.

If you follow these steps, meeting transcription works — both automatically and in compliance with GDPR.

You get complete documentation, your team can focus on the discussion, and you avoid later disputes about “Who said what?” — all while staying on the right side of data law.

In the future, AI meeting assistants may become as commonplace as email. Now is the time to get familiar with them, so you’re ahead of the curve instead of playing catch-up.

You can test Sally AI for 4 weeks — and try it out in your next meeting.