Recording Consent Guide

1. What Are Recording Consent Laws?

Recording consent laws govern whether you need permission from the people you are recording before you press record. The rules differ significantly depending on where you and your meeting participants are located.

There are two main frameworks:

• One-party consent — Only one person in the conversation needs to know the recording is happening. In practice, that person is usually you. As long as you are a participant in the conversation and you know it is being recorded, you are generally covered under one-party consent rules.
• All-party consent (two-party consent) — Every person in the conversation must give their consent before recording begins. Even if just one participant has not agreed, recording may be unlawful.

At the federal level in the United States, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) permits one-party consent. However, federal law sets a floor, not a ceiling — individual states are free to impose stricter requirements, and many do. If you or any participant is located in an all-party consent state, that stricter rule likely applies to your recording.

2. All-Party Consent States

The following U.S. states are generally considered all-party (or multi-party) consent jurisdictions. In these states, recording a conversation without the consent of all participants may be a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability:

• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Washington

This list may not be exhaustive. Recording laws are updated periodically, and some states have laws that are ambiguous or interpreted differently by courts. Always verify the current law in your specific jurisdiction.

Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction meetings: When participants are in different states — or different countries — the safest approach is to apply the strictest applicable rule. If anyone on your call is in California, for example, treat the call as requiring all-party consent regardless of where you are located.

International considerations: Many countries have consent requirements that are at least as strict as U.S. all-party consent states. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require a lawful basis for recording, which often means explicit consent. Canada's PIPEDA and similar laws in Australia impose comparable obligations. If you record calls with participants outside the U.S., research the laws in their jurisdiction before recording.

3. How to Notify Meeting Participants

The simplest way to stay compliant is to make notification a habit before every recording. Here are practical approaches for different meeting types.

Virtual meetings (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.)

• Post a message in the meeting chat before you start recording: "This meeting will be recorded and transcribed for note-taking purposes. Please let me know if you have any objections."
• Make a brief verbal announcement at the start of the meeting: "Just a heads-up — I'll be recording this for my notes."
• Include a note in the calendar invite description so participants know ahead of time.
• If someone objects, either stop the recording or give them the opportunity to leave the meeting.

In-person meetings

• Make a verbal announcement before you start recording: "I'd like to record this meeting for my notes — is everyone okay with that?"
• For formal settings such as interviews, depositions, or client meetings, consider a brief written notice or a line in your meeting agenda acknowledging that the session will be recorded.
• Place your recording device visibly on the table rather than out of sight — this signals transparency and discourages ambiguity.

Recurring meetings

• Remind participants periodically, not just at the first meeting. People join recurring calls over time, and a new participant may not have been present when you originally disclosed your recording practice.
• Consider a standing line in your recurring calendar invite to cover new attendees.

4. Best Practices

Even if you are in a one-party consent state, following these practices protects you, builds trust, and keeps things professional.

• Default to disclosure. Tell participants you are recording, even when the law does not strictly require it. Transparency avoids surprises and keeps relationships intact.
• Give people a real opportunity to object. A disclosure that leaves no time for anyone to respond is not meaningful notice. Pause, give people a moment, and honor any objection.
• Document your notice. The chat message you send in Zoom or Teams creates a timestamped record that you provided notice. Keep that record if you ever need it.
• Be clear about how the recording will be used. "I'm recording this for my personal notes" is different from "This recording may be shared with our legal team." Be specific so participants can make informed decisions.
• When in doubt, ask explicitly. If you are unsure about a participant's jurisdiction or comfort level, ask: "Do you mind if I record this?" A yes takes two seconds and eliminates the uncertainty.
• Respect objections. If any participant does not consent, either do not record or allow them to leave before you start. Never record someone over a stated objection.

5. What Kairo Notes Does and Does Not Do

Understanding Kairo's role helps you use the app responsibly.

What Kairo Notes does:

• Records and transcribes audio from your meetings and conversations on your Mac.
• Shows a consent reminder before every recording session to prompt you to notify participants.
• Performs transcription on-device using Apple's built-in speech frameworks — your audio never leaves your Mac unless you choose otherwise.
• Sends transcript text to your configured cloud AI provider (if you have one set up) to power AI features such as summaries and action items.

What Kairo Notes does not do:

• Kairo Notes does not obtain consent from your meeting participants on your behalf.
• Kairo Notes does not verify the recording laws of your jurisdiction or the jurisdictions of your participants.
• Kairo Notes does not monitor, review, or store your recordings on any Kairo server.

The consent reminder in the app is a prompt to help you remember — it is not a legal mechanism. Compliance is entirely your responsibility.

If you use a cloud AI provider, your transcript text is sent to that provider under their terms of service. Review those terms before enabling any cloud AI feature, especially if your recordings contain sensitive information.