Recording law · United States
Can I record a call in Massachusetts?
Not in secret. Massachusetts prohibits secretly recording a conversation. A recording the other people know about is not secret.
Not in secret
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Laws change and facts differ; check before you rely on any line here, and ask a lawyer licensed where you record for anything that matters.
Is Massachusetts a one-party or all-party consent state?
Not in secret. Neither label fits exactly. Massachusetts bans secret recording, so a participant may not record without the others knowing, which is why it is usually listed with the all-party states. A recording everyone has been told about is not secret.
- The statute turns on secrecy rather than on an expectation of privacy, so it reaches conversations that other states would treat as public.
- Knowledge is what matters. If the others have been told, or can plainly see that recording is happening, the recording is not secret.
- Tell everyone at the start of the call, and tell people who join late.
Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)) allows a participant to record unless the recording is made to commit a crime or a tort. State law can ask for more.
The law
- Massachusetts General Laws ch. 272, § 99
Secret recording is a crime punishable by a fine, imprisonment or both, and the person recorded can bring a civil claim.
When the others are somewhere else
A call with anyone in Massachusetts should be announced, whatever the rule is where you sit. Video meetings are treated like phone calls, and the strictest rule that applies to anyone on the call is the one to follow.
Do I have to tell people I'm recording a call in Massachusetts?
Yes. Say it at the start, before anything else, and say it again when someone joins late. A recording everyone has been told about is not secret.
“Quick note before we start: I’m recording and transcribing this meeting on my own machine 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.”
How Recordist fits
- One-party consent covers only conversations you take part in. Recordist records whatever your microphone picks up and whatever plays through your computer's sound output, so it can also record a call or a room you aren't part of, and that needs the consent the law sets for it. No bot joins the call.
- By default it asks before it records a call. A detected call is recorded only after you click Record, unless you add that app to Record without asking for in Settings → Detection or allow agents to start recordings in Settings → Integrations; both are off by default. The confirm card shows a one-line reminder that consent is your responsibility, so keep the sentence above to hand.
- The notice is still yours to give. Software cannot give consent for the other people. In Massachusetts, tell them and get their agreement first.