Recording law · Europe
Can I record a call in the United Kingdom?
Yes. A person may record a call they take part in. Recording for purely personal use is outside data protection law. Recording for work or business needs a lawful basis under UK GDPR, and the people on the call have to be told.
One-party consent
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.
Does recording a call in the United Kingdom need one-party or all-party consent?
One-party consent. A participant may record a call without the others agreeing; that is not interception. Recording for work or business also needs a lawful basis under UK GDPR, and the others have to be told.
- Interception means making a call's content available to someone who is not the sender or an intended recipient (Investigatory Powers Act 2016, s. 4). A participant who records their own call is an intended recipient, so is not intercepting it.
- A recording made and kept for purely personal or household purposes is outside UK GDPR (Article 2(2)(a)); one made for work or business is not.
- Once a personal recording is shared beyond personal or household use, data protection law can apply to it.
- A recording that identifies people is personal data. Business use needs a lawful basis, a clear notice, a retention limit and security.
When a business records
- A business may record on its own systems for listed purposes, such as establishing facts, checking compliance with regulatory rules, checking the standards staff meet and preventing or detecting crime (the 2018 Regulations, regulation 3).
- It must have made all reasonable efforts to tell everyone who may use the system that their communications may be recorded (regulation 4).
- The lawful basis is one of those in Article 6, such as consent or legitimate interests.
- The people recorded have to be told, at the time, why the recording is made, on what basis, how long it is kept or how that is decided, and that they can ask for a copy (Article 13). It may be kept no longer than its purpose needs (Article 5(1)(e)).
The law
- Investigatory Powers Act 2016, sections 3 and 4
- Investigatory Powers (Interception by Businesses etc. for Monitoring and Record-keeping Purposes) Regulations 2018
- UK GDPR (Articles 2, 5, 6, 13 and 82) and the Data Protection Act 2018
Unlawful interception is a criminal offence, punishable on indictment by up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. Data protection breaches are enforced by the UK data protection regulator, and a person who suffers damage from one can claim compensation (Article 82).
The official texts these lines were checked against, in October 2026:
- Investigatory Powers Act 2016, s. 3, legislation.gov.uk
- Investigatory Powers Act 2016, s. 4
- The 2018 Regulations (SI 2018/356)
- UK GDPR, Article 13
- UK GDPR, Article 2
When the others are somewhere else
Calls with people in Germany, Switzerland or an all-party US state should be announced and agreed. 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 the United Kingdom?
For purely personal use, no. If you record for work or business, you have to tell people the call is being recorded and why, and point them to your privacy information under UK GDPR. Saying it at the start takes one sentence and also covers anyone on the call who may be somewhere stricter.
“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. Tell them when you record for work or business, and when anyone may be somewhere stricter.
More questions
Can I record a work call in the UK without telling the other person?
Recording a call you take part in is not interception. But a recording made for work or business is personal data, and UK GDPR requires the people recorded to be told at the time why it is made, on what basis, how long it is kept and that they can ask for a copy (Article 13). For work, they have to be told.
How long can I keep a work call recording in the UK?
UK GDPR sets no fixed period. A recording that identifies people may be kept no longer than its purpose needs (Article 5(1)(e)), and the people recorded have to be told the period, or how it is set (Article 13(2)(a)).
What is the penalty for unlawful interception in the UK?
On conviction on indictment, up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both (Investigatory Powers Act 2016, s. 3). A participant recording their own call is not intercepting it.