Recording consent law, in plain English.

The one-paragraph version

In most of the world a participant may record their own conversation without telling the others (one-party consent). The exceptions matter: roughly a dozen US states, Germany, Switzerland, several Australian states and, for business use, every GDPR country require that the other people know they are being recorded, and some require their consent. Video meetings are treated like phone calls, and the strictest law that applies to anyone on the call tends to govern. Practical rule: if anyone on the call could be in an all-party place, announce it.

By place

One page each for the places people ask about most, with the statute and what to say.

• California
• Florida
• Illinois
• Pennsylvania
• Washington
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• New York
• Texas
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• Australia

How Recordist fits

• One-party consent covers only conversations you take part in. Recordist records whatever your computer's microphone picks up and whatever plays through its sound output. That can include a call or a room you aren't part of, and recording it needs the consent the law sets for it. No bot or third-party device joins the call.
• Recording starts with your action. A detected call is recorded only after you click Record on the confirm card. Two settings change that, and both are off by default: apps you add to Record without asking for in Settings → Detection, and Allow agents to start recordings in Settings → Integrations. Each meeting stores when it started and which app it came from; the app does not keep a separate record of the prompt or of your answer.
• Nothing about your meetings leaves by default. With the default settings no vendor processes the recording, nothing crosses a border and nothing is used for training.
• Retention and biometrics are yours to set. Audio is deleted after 30 days by default, you can delete any meeting, and Recordist does no voiceprint identification.
• The notice is still yours to give. The confirm card shows a one-line reminder that consent is your responsibility, and the notice templates are on this page. While Recordist records, an amber dot shows in your menu bar. Only you see it; the other people on the call don't.

United States

Federal law allows recording if you are a party to the conversation. States may require more. Everywhere not listed below is one-party consent for participants. Employers can generally record on their own systems with a policy and notice, but employees in all-party states must still be told.

A 1:1 or small internal call is private; a webinar or public town hall is not. Assume private. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press keeps a state-by-state guide.

Canada

• The Criminal Code exempts a person who is a party to the conversation: one-party consent for participants.
• PIPEDA applies when an organisation records in the course of commercial activity: tell people the call is recorded and why, get meaningful consent (saying it at the start, and offering a choice where recording is not essential, is the usual way), limit use, secure the recording. Quebec, Alberta and BC have their own private-sector laws with similar or stricter rules.
• Purely personal use is outside PIPEDA.

United Kingdom

• A party to a call recording it is not unlawful interception. Personal recording of your own calls is lawful.
• Businesses may record communications on their systems for listed purposes without consent, provided they make all reasonable efforts to inform users that recording may occur.
• UK GDPR: a recording that identifies people is personal data. Business use needs a lawful basis, transparency (tell participants), minimisation and security. Voice used to identify someone is biometric data. Personal or household use is exempt.

European Union

• GDPR: for business meetings with external parties, transparency is not optional; consent is the safest basis. Keep audio only as long as needed (Recordist's 30-day default helps). Voiceprints are biometric data. Systematic recording of staff can trigger an impact assessment and works-council consultation.
• Germany and Switzerland: recording the non-public spoken word without consent is a crime. Announce and get agreement before recording any participant there. France: treat as all-party. Austria, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics: a participant may generally record; disclosing it is restricted; GDPR still governs business use.
• The EU AI Act prohibits emotion-recognition systems in the workplace; Recordist has no such feature.

Australia

• Recording at your own end is generally not “interception”; state and territory surveillance-device laws govern instead.
• All-party consent (with limited exceptions): New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, ACT.
• A party may record their own conversation, but sharing it without consent is restricted: Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory.
• The Privacy Act applies to organisations with turnover above 3 million Australian dollars and to some smaller ones, such as health service providers, and requires notice of collection.

India

• No statute squarely governs a participant recording their own call; courts have admitted participant recordings while treating covert recording of intimate or private conversations as a privacy violation.
• The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 requires consent with clear notice for businesses processing personal data; personal or domestic use is exempt.

What to say

Here are three you can use. Edit them to taste; the point is that the other people know.

Disclaimer

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws on recording, privacy, employment and evidence differ by place and change over time. It was last reviewed in September 2026, doesn't cover every jurisdiction or situation, and reading it doesn't create a lawyer–client relationship. Before relying on any recording practice, especially for commercial, regulated or cross-border use, get advice from a lawyer licensed where you record.