Secure File Conversion for Insurance Claims Adjusters

Automobile accident footage is among the most common video evidence that insurance adjusters handle. Modern vehicles increasingly include built-in dashcams, and aftermarket dashcam adoption continues to grow. When an accident occurs, the dashcam footage often becomes the primary evidence for determining fault and assessing damages.

This footage captures far more than the accident itself. Dashcam recordings typically run continuously, meaning the file submitted as evidence may include minutes or hours of driving before the incident. During this time, the camera captures other vehicles with their license plates, pedestrians, storefronts, residential properties, and any number of identifiable details about the area. Passengers in the policyholder's vehicle are visible and audible. Conversations in the car are recorded. After the accident, the footage may capture injured parties, emergency responders, and bystanders who had no involvement in the claim.

Traffic camera footage obtained from municipal sources raises similar concerns. These recordings may capture dozens of uninvolved vehicles and pedestrians who happen to be in the frame. Surveillance footage from businesses near the accident site includes customers, employees, and passersby who have no connection to the insurance claim.

When an adjuster receives this footage, it often needs to be converted for compatibility with the claims management system. A dashcam might record in an uncommon format that the system does not support. Traffic camera footage may arrive in a format specific to the camera manufacturer. Surveillance footage often uses codecs designed for security systems that are not standard in the insurance workflow.

Uploading this footage to a cloud conversion service means sending all of this incidentally captured personal data to a third-party server. The privacy of everyone visible in the footage, not just the policyholder or claimant, is potentially compromised. With ConvertFree, the adjuster converts the footage directly in their browser, and none of this sensitive data ever leaves their work device. The privacy of all parties captured in the footage is preserved throughout the conversion process.

Property damage claims require thorough video documentation, and this documentation inevitably captures intimate details of policyholders' lives. When an adjuster records a walk-through of a storm-damaged home, the video documents not just the damage but the homeowner's personal living environment. Family photographs, religious items, medical equipment, financial documents visible on desks, prescription bottles in bathrooms, and children's belongings all appear in the footage.

For high-value claims, adjusters may record extensive documentation covering every room and exterior surface of a property. These recordings can run 30 minutes or longer and constitute a detailed visual inventory of the policyholder's possessions and living conditions. This is deeply personal information that the policyholder shared under the necessity of filing an insurance claim, not as an invitation for broad data distribution.

Policyholders trust that their insurance company will handle this documentation with appropriate care. They expect that the video of their damaged kitchen, which also shows their children's report cards on the refrigerator and their medication on the counter, will be seen only by those with a legitimate need in the claims process. When an adjuster uploads this footage to a cloud conversion service, they are expanding access to this personal data beyond what the policyholder anticipated or consented to.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has developed model laws and guidelines for data security in the insurance industry. The Insurance Data Security Model Law, adopted by an increasing number of states, requires insurers to implement comprehensive information security programs that include safeguards for personal information in the company's control. Using cloud-based tools to process policyholder video data may fall outside the scope of these security programs, creating a compliance gap.

ConvertFree keeps all property damage documentation processing local. Whether an adjuster needs to compress a lengthy walk-through video for upload to the claims system, convert footage from a body camera to MP4 for the file, or extract still frames from a video for a report, the entire process occurs in the browser without any data transmission. The policyholder's personal information remains within the adjuster's controlled work environment.

Special Investigation Units within insurance companies handle suspected fraud cases, and their work involves some of the most sensitive video evidence in the industry. SIU investigators record surveillance footage of claimants suspected of exaggerating injuries, document staged accident scenes, review footage of arson investigations, and compile video evidence for referral to law enforcement and prosecutors.

The sensitivity of SIU recordings cannot be overstated. Surveillance videos of claimants capture individuals in their daily lives, often without their knowledge. These recordings document where people go, who they associate with, what physical activities they engage in, and details of their personal routines. SIU case files may include recordings of interviews with witnesses, informants, and suspects. They may contain undercover footage from sting operations. They may include recordings of conversations with fraud ring members.

If this material is uploaded to a cloud conversion service, the consequences of a breach are severe. A claimant who discovers that their surveillance footage was uploaded to a third-party server could use that fact to challenge the admissibility of the evidence and attack the insurer's investigation practices. If the material relates to an ongoing law enforcement investigation, exposure could compromise the investigation and potentially endanger informants or undercover operatives.

Evidence integrity is also a concern. In fraud cases that proceed to prosecution, the chain of custody for evidence must be documented and defensible. When a video file is uploaded to a cloud server for conversion, a copy of the evidence exists on infrastructure outside the insurer's control. Defense attorneys can argue that the evidence was potentially altered, accessed by unauthorized parties, or tampered with during the cloud processing step. Even if the evidence was not actually compromised, the fact that it left the insurer's controlled environment creates an argument that the defense can exploit.

ConvertFree preserves evidence integrity by ensuring that video files never leave the investigator's device during conversion. The conversion happens locally, within the browser, and the output file is saved directly to the local machine. There is no cloud copy, no server-side processing, and no point at which the evidence is outside the investigator's physical control. This maintains a clean chain of custody and eliminates a potential challenge to evidence admissibility.

Insurance claims management systems are the operational backbone of claims processing, and they are notoriously particular about the file formats they accept. Major platforms like Guidewire ClaimCenter, Duck Creek, and Majesco have specific requirements for video attachments, and these requirements often do not align with the formats that cameras, smartphones, and surveillance systems produce.

Most claims management systems accept MP4 with H.264 encoding as the standard video format. Many also impose file size limits, typically ranging from 25 MB to 100 MB per attachment. Some older systems have even more restrictive requirements, accepting only specific resolutions, frame rates, or audio codecs. The result is that adjusters frequently need to convert, compress, and reformat video evidence before it can be attached to a claim file.

The format diversity of incoming evidence compounds the problem. Dashcams produce files in formats ranging from MP4 to AVI to proprietary formats specific to the manufacturer. Body cameras used by field adjusters record in various formats depending on the brand. Security camera footage arrives in formats designed for the CCTV industry, which often differ from consumer video standards. Smartphone videos from policyholders come in MOV from iPhones and MP4 from Android devices, but with varying codecs. Drone footage used for roof inspections and disaster surveys typically uses DJI's preferred formats.

Adjusters handling a single claim might receive evidence in five or six different formats that all need to be standardized to MP4 before upload to the claims system. Multiply this across dozens of active claims, and the volume of conversion work is substantial.

ConvertFree handles all of these conversions in the browser. Adjusters can convert any common video format to MP4, adjust resolution and bitrate to meet file size limits, and produce clips ready for upload to their claims management system. Because the conversion is local, there is no dependency on internet speed for uploading large files to cloud conversion services, and there is no privacy risk from sending claims evidence to third-party servers. For adjusters working in the field on laptops with limited connectivity, this local processing capability is especially valuable.

The insurance industry operates under a dense web of regulations that directly affect how claims data, including video evidence, must be handled. Insurers that fail to protect policyholder data face regulatory sanctions, fines, and reputational damage.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions, including insurance companies, to explain their information-sharing practices and to safeguard sensitive data. The act's Safeguards Rule mandates a written information security plan that describes how the company protects customer information. Using cloud-based conversion tools for claims evidence without including those tools in the security plan creates a compliance gap.

State insurance regulations add further requirements. The NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law, adopted by a growing number of states, requires insurers to conduct risk assessments of third-party service providers that have access to nonpublic information. If adjusters routinely upload claims video to cloud conversion services, those services are third-party providers with access to nonpublic policyholder information. Has the insurer assessed the conversion service's security practices? Has it established a contractual obligation for the service to protect the data? In most cases, the answer is no, because the use of these tools happens informally at the individual adjuster level.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act applies when claims involve medical information, which is common in workers' compensation, disability, and health insurance claims. Video evidence that includes medical examinations, physical therapy sessions, or medical facility visits contains protected health information that is subject to HIPAA's strict handling requirements.

ConvertFree simplifies compliance across all of these regulatory frameworks. Because no data leaves the adjuster's device, there is no third-party service provider to assess, no data sharing to disclose, and no risk of nonpublic information being exposed through cloud infrastructure. The conversion tool operates entirely within the insurer's own security perimeter, making it consistent with existing information security plans and regulatory requirements. It is a simple architectural choice that eliminates an entire category of compliance risk.

Implementing secure video conversion practices across a claims operation requires establishing clear procedures and ensuring that all adjusters understand and follow them. Here is a practical framework for building a secure claims video workflow.

First, establish a standard output format for claims video. MP4 with H.264 encoding at 720p or 1080p resolution is the most widely compatible choice and meets the requirements of virtually all claims management systems. Define standard bitrate settings that produce files within your system's upload limits. Document these specifications in a reference guide that all adjusters can access.

Second, designate ConvertFree as the approved tool for video format conversion across the claims operation. Include it in the department's approved software list and reference it in the information security policy. Because it requires no installation, license management, or account creation, deployment is immediate.

Third, train adjusters on the proper workflow. When video evidence is received, it should be saved to the local device. The adjuster opens ConvertFree in their browser, loads the video, selects the standard output settings, and converts. The converted file is then uploaded directly to the claims management system. At no point is the video sent to any third-party service.

Fourth, address field operations. Adjusters who work in the field often need to process video on laptops with inconsistent internet connectivity. ConvertFree works after the initial page load even without an ongoing internet connection, making it ideal for field use. Adjusters can convert dashcam footage, body camera recordings, and smartphone videos at the scene or in their vehicle without needing a reliable connection.

Finally, document the practice for regulatory purposes. Your information security plan should note that video evidence conversion occurs locally on company-managed devices using browser-based tools that do not transmit data to external servers. This documentation demonstrates to regulators and auditors that you have considered and addressed the risk of third-party data exposure during routine file processing.