Recording consent guide

Why this matters with MeetInk

Many meeting recorders join your call as a visible bot, which at least tells people something is recording. MeetInk doesn’t. It records your microphone and the meeting app’s audio quietly on your Mac. That’s better for privacy, but it means nobody else knows unless you tell them. Telling them is your job.

One-party and all-party consent

Recording laws usually follow one of two models:

• One-party consent: you may record a conversation you take part in, without asking the others. US federal law and most US states work this way.
• All-party (or two-party) consent: everyone in the conversation must agree. Several US states, including California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington, require this for many conversations.

On a call, people may be in different places with different rules. The safe approach is to follow the strictest rule that could apply, which in practice means asking everyone.

Other places

• European Union: under the GDPR, a recording of identifiable people is personal data. Using it for work generally needs a lawful basis and telling people what you’re doing. Some countries go further: in Germany, for example, secretly recording private spoken words can be a criminal offence.
• United Kingdom: the UK GDPR applies in much the same way when recordings are used for work. Employers and businesses are expected to be transparent about recording.
• India: there isn’t one simple rule for recording calls you take part in, and courts treat privacy as a fundamental right. When recordings are used for work, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act can apply. Asking first is the sensible default.
• Elsewhere: rules vary widely, and some countries are strict. Check before recording calls with people in a country you don’t know.

Workplace and client rules

Even where the law allows a recording, your employer’s policy, a client contract, a non-disclosure agreement, or a professional code (for example in healthcare, law or finance) may not. Some companies forbid recording internal meetings, or only allow approved tools. Check before you start, especially for interviews, HR conversations, and calls with clients or patients.

How to tell people

• Ask at the start, before or as you start recording, and give people a real chance to say no.
• Say it out loud and put it in the chat, so people who join late can see it.
• For recurring meetings, add a line to the calendar invite.
• If anyone objects, stop recording, or don’t record that meeting. You can still take notes by hand.

Something like this works:

“I’m taking notes with MeetInk. It records and transcribes on my Mac, nothing goes to a bot or a server. Is that OK with everyone?”

If you use a cloud notes engine, it’s honest to add that the transcript text is sent to that AI provider to write the notes.

After the meeting

• Share notes only with people who should see them.
• Delete recordings you don’t need. You can free the original audio and keep just the notes in Settings → Storage.
• If someone asks you to delete a recording of them, take it seriously. In many places they may have a right to ask.

What MeetInk does

• No bot joins your call, and audio is never uploaded. Transcription happens on your Mac.
• Recordings stay on your Mac, under your control. See the privacy policy and security.
• Under our terms, you are responsible for getting any consent the law or your workplace requires.