How DeepL Language AI helps you safeguard health data with HIPAA

Key Takeaways

• DeepL’s Language AI platform is now fully HIPAA-compliant, supporting secure PHI workflows for healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life sciences teams.
• HIPAA goes beyond ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, and GDPR with detailed, legally enforced safeguards for protected health information.
• DeepL protects PHI through seven protocols: security management, workforce controls, physical controls, device controls, access controls, data integrity, and transmission security.
• Security measures include SIEM monitoring, RBAC, MFA, strict physical access, AES-256 device encryption, tested backups, and secured APIs with TLS.
• HIPAA’s Privacy Rule and breach-notification requirements shape DeepL’s logging, auditing, encryption, and incident-response processes.
• DeepL Translator enables secure, multilingual clinical and patient communication workflows across healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life sciences teams.

No form of data is more personal, more confidential, or more sensitive than people’s health data. In any country or legal jurisdiction, healthcare companies, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies must meet the strictest standards on data privacy and security. 

At DeepL, our solutions are fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This is a significant step forward for Language AI and the healthcare enterprises that use it.

What is HIPAA, and why does it matter for health data security?

HIPAA is a U.S. federal law that protects sensitive medical information and identifies organizations that are trusted partners for those handling such data. It’s unique as a regulatory requirement because it applies specifically to healthcare organizations and those working with them. 

This distinction is different to the other certifications and standards that DeepL holds for data privacy and security. Those include ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, and GDPR, providing broad frameworks to cover a range of different industries. 

However, HIPAA is a highly specialized piece of legislation. 

It goes into great detail regarding the specific safeguards that entities and parties should apply to sensitive data. It mandates exactly what businesses must do. It backs up guidelines with hefty fines and potential criminal charges for organizations failing to comply with agreed-to standards. 

HIPAA also covers every aspect of companies’ responsibilities toward protected health information (PHI). Because PHI requirements are so strict, HIPAA compliance sends a powerful signal about how complete an organization’s data, privacy, and security policies are.

How HIPAA compliance helps DeepL customers safeguard health data: 7 protocols

HIPAA certification assures DeepL customers about the administrative, physical, and technical safeguards in place to protect health data. Along with DeepL’s existing standards and certifications, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, and GDPR, security is foundational. 

DeepL helps your enterprise protect PHI under HIPAA in seven critical ways.

1. Security management processes and audit controls

Security management processes and audit controls record all activity and monitor for security violations or unauthorized access attempts. DeepL uses a security information and event management (SIEM) system. It triggers immediate alerts about any suspicious activity.

2. Workforce security measures and role-based access

Workforce security measures ensure only authorized DeepL employees have access to PHI. We use role-based access control (RBAC), so only employees who need access to healthcare data for specific reasons can access it.

Our systems revoke access when anything changes or when people leave. Every DeepL employee undergoes security training. This ensures they know the systems to follow, are aware of threats, and can alert us about any security incidents.

3. Physical access controls for data centers

We maintain strict physical access controls for our data centers. These controls include electronic key card systems that mean only authorized employees can access areas where PHI data is stored.

4. Device controls and encryption for PHI

We apply controls to any device allowed to access PHI. DeepL workstations lock automatically after 10 minutes of inactivity. We have a strict policy of employees logging off and securing devices when they leave their desks. 

Additionally, we use asset management software to track all the devices that store PHI. We encrypt all these devices with highly secure AES-256. We have strict procedures for disposing and reusing devices that include certified data destruction services.

5. Access control technologies and least privilege

We use access control technologies such as multifactor authentication (MFA), unique user IDs per employee, and a principle of least privilege. This means we grant employees only the minimum security access they need to do their jobs.

6. Data integrity controls and reliable backups

We use tools and policies to protect data integrity. This ensures only authorized people can update data and that they log all changes. We regularly test our backup systems to ensure we can always restore data without corruption.

7. Transmission security and API protection

We apply multiple layers of protection for data while in transmission, including the following: 

• Encryption of all PHI transferred to and from DeepL using the TLS 1.2 encryption protocol
• Support for TLS 1.3, which offers better security, faster performance, and a simplified protocol

By removing insecure features and requiring modern cryptographic practices, TLS 1.3 significantly reduces vulnerabilities. It is the recommended version for secure communications. DeepL also uses authentication, encryption, and rate-limiting to secure our APIs.

DeepL’s ongoing responsibilities and commitments under HIPAA

Most of the safeguards we implement at DeepL aren’t unique to HIPAA. They’re already required, audited, and accredited through our other data security and privacy standards. 

However, complying with HIPAA means making additional commitments to you. 

HIPAA includes a Privacy Rule that gives patients the right to access, amend, and restrict any data related to them. The detailed auditing, logging, and data encryption processes that DeepL follows help ensure they can do so. 

HIPAA also commits us to notifying any affected parties of a data breach. We must also notify the U.S. government and media. Our SIEM and other security processes make these protocols easy to meet. 

The final big difference between HIPAA and other data privacy and security standards is the way regulators enforce it. 

Being ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 accredited involves undergoing external audits confirming we meet their set requirements. The responsibility for confirming how secure and compliant our systems are sits with the bodies issuing the accreditation. 

HIPAA differs. It’s down to an organization itself, down to us at DeepL, to declare that we’re compliant. We also take on the legal responsibility for ensuring we continuously measure up to HIPAA standards. 

Given the force of the law behind HIPAA, that’s a serious commitment to make. And it’s a strong signal of just how stringent our data privacy and security systems are that we can make it.

More than 200,000 global enterprises trust DeepL: Read our clients’ stories.

Discover HIPAA-compliant Language AI tools for your health data

DeepL Translator helps global healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life sciences teams handle PHI securely, accurately, and in multiple languages under HIPAA.

Use DeepL to translate clinical content, summarize records, draft patient communications, and streamline workflows while meeting HIPAA requirements. And we’re more than a translation tool.

DeepL Write, Voice, and API are built on the same enterprise-grade security stack, giving healthcare teams the tools to communicate accurately and securely. 

Contact Sales to see how DeepL's HIPAA-compliant AI tools can support your healthcare workflows.