Legal
Recording consent law, in plain English.
Who has to know, and who has to agree, when you record a meeting. Our working summary, organised by place.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction. You are solely responsible for obtaining any consent required where you record. Recordist never records without your explicit confirmation. Last reviewed September 2026; laws change, so check before you rely on any line below.
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.
How Recordist fits
- You are always a participant. Recordist captures your own microphone and the audio arriving at your machine. There is no third-party device or bot listening.
- Intent is explicit and recorded. Nothing records until you answer the confirm card. The app keeps the time of the prompt and your answer on your machine, which shows that the recording was deliberate.
- Nothing about your meetings leaves by default. No vendor processor, no cross-border transfer, no training use: the three facts most privacy complaints about cloud notetakers turn on.
- Retention and biometrics are yours to set. 30-day audio default, per-meeting delete, and no voiceprint identification unless you turn it on.
- The notice is still yours to give. The confirm card can show a reminder and a template. Recordist never hides the recording indicator on your own machine.
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.
| State | Rule for a participant recording a private call |
|---|---|
| California | All parties must consent to recording a “confidential communication”. Courts read this broadly and apply it to calls with Californians wherever you sit. Statutory damages per violation; this is the law most often cited in lawsuits against notetaker vendors. |
| Florida | All-party consent where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. A first offence is a felony. |
| Illinois | All-party consent for a “private conversation”. Business video calls usually qualify. Voiceprints used to identify people need written consent (BIPA). |
| Maryland | All-party consent for wire, oral and electronic communications. |
| Massachusetts | Prohibits secret recording. If the other people know it is happening, it is not secret; an announced recording is compliant. |
| Pennsylvania | All-party consent. |
| Washington | All-party consent, but consent is deemed given if an announcement that the call is being recorded is made to everyone and is itself recorded. |
| Connecticut, Delaware, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon | Treat as all-party (or notify-all) for calls and video, with nuances that differ by statute. |
| Michigan, Hawaii, Vermont | Edge cases: participant recording is likely lawful in Michigan; Hawaii becomes all-party for devices installed in a private place; Vermont had no recording statute when we last reviewed this page. Be cautious. |
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: state the purpose, get meaningful consent (telling people at the start and continuing can suffice), 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, Northern Territory.
- A party may record, but may not publish without consent: Victoria, Queensland.
- The Privacy Act applies to larger organisations 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
Templates the app can show on the confirm card. Edit them to taste; the point is that the other people know.
Spoken notice, start of meeting
“Quick note before we start: I’m recording and transcribing this meeting on my own computer for my notes. It isn’t shared with anyone unless I send it to you. Let me know if you’d rather I didn’t.”
Chat message
“FYI, I’m taking notes with a local transcription tool on my machine (no bot, nothing uploaded). Tell me if you’d prefer I stop.”
Calendar-invite footer
“Meetings with me may be recorded and transcribed locally for note-taking. Recordings stay on my device and are deleted after 30 days. Say so at the start of the meeting if you do not consent.”
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.