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In-person recordings & uploads

Sally can be used beyond online meetings: you can record in-person conversations directly via the Sally app and upload existing audio or video files for transcription and analysis. The processing follows the same DPA and TOMs, and stays entirely on servers in Germany. The difference is the notification path: the automatic chat notice and the chat-based opt-out only work when Sally joins an online meeting. In-person and uploaded material bypasses that channel, so a few duties shift to you as the controller.

Important

For in-person recordings and uploaded files, Sally cannot post a chat notice or accept an opt out command. It is your responsibility as controller to inform participants before the recording starts and to secure the appropriate legal basis. This applies in the same way to files you upload after the fact.

Where the AI Act and GDPR meet​

Under Art. 50 EU AI Act you must ensure that everyone knows they are interacting with an AI system, and under Art. 6 and, where relevant, Art. 9 GDPR you must have a lawful basis for processing personal (and possibly special-category) data. When Sally joins an online meeting the software handles the transparency notice for you. In person and for uploads, the software cannot do that, so the legal duty falls on the person operating the recording.

What you should do before every recording​

1
Inform participants clearly
Say out loud that the conversation will be recorded and transcribed by an AI assistant, name the tool (Sally by Aliru GmbH), state the purpose (e.g. meeting minutes), and where the processing takes place (Germany).
2
Provide the privacy information
Share a link, QR code, or printed handout that covers the categories of data, retention period, controller contact, and data subject rights. You can reuse the participant information.
3
Secure the legal basis
Depending on the context this is consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), a contract, or a legitimate interest. For special categories (health, HR interviews, counselling) you typically need explicit consent under Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR. Document the basis.
4
Handle objections immediately
If a participant objects, do not start the recording, or stop it and delete anything already captured. The Sally app lets you delete a recording from the device before it is transferred.
5
Only upload files you have the rights to
Before uploading an existing audio or video file, make sure everyone in the recording was informed at the time and that no separate contractual or legal restriction blocks further processing.

What Sally does technically​

  • In-person recordings are captured locally in the Sally app, encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3), and stored encrypted at rest with AES-256 in German data centers. Processing (transcription and summary) runs on Sally's own LLM in Germany.
  • Uploads are transferred over an encrypted channel to the same infrastructure. There is no external AI provider between you and the transcript.
  • Retention follows the settings you configure in the Sally app. Raw audio and video used only for transcription are deleted automatically once processing completes, unless you enabled recording storage.

Where in-person and uploads make sense​

On-site meetings

Sales visits, workshops, project reviews where all participants are in the same room. Turn on the Sally app, brief everyone, and let it transcribe live.

Interview recordings

Structured research or HR interviews where you already record audio for internal notes. Only proceed with clear consent, especially when Art. 9 data can appear.

Post-hoc uploads

Recordings that already exist and only need to be transcribed and summarised. Verify the original consent scope before uploading.

What is off limits​

Sally must not be used to record conversations covertly, to monitor employee performance or behaviour, or to run any of the practices prohibited under Art. 5 EU AI Act (emotion recognition at work, biometric categorisation, remote biometric identification). Every recording is transparent and consented to before it starts.