Call Recording Laws and Regulations: US and International

United States Call Recording: One-party vs. Two-party Consent

When it comes to the legality of call recording in the United States, states typically adopt a one-party consent policy or a two-party consent policy. A one-party consent policy states that you will need consent from one of the parties participating in a call in order to record. Some states, however, have opted for a two-party consent policy (often known as all-party consent) where all parties have to be informed that the call is being recorded. Whether a state is one-party or two-party it is best practice to obtain consent from all parties in the call.

While Outreach users can enable automated outbound call recording due to the implication of at least one party's consent, because there is no prompt to confirm consent for inbound calls, recording of these cannot be automated.

Note: The consent requirement is based on the physical location of the prospect. It is not solely tied to the area code that their phone number is registered in. 

One-Party Consent States

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Two-Party Consent States

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

 *Outreach will require users to manually confirm consent when initiating any recorded call if the "Show Two Party Consent Dialog" feature is enabled. 

International Call Recording

International call recording regulations vary widely, and the local government’s telecommunications authority should be consulted prior to initiating a call recording system. Many countries do not have specific laws covering telecommunication issues, and thus operate on a case-by-case basis. When in doubt it is best practice to obtain consent from all parties in the call.

Australia

If a call is to be recorded or monitored, you must inform parties at the beginning of the conversation so that the respective parties have the chance to either end the call, or to ask to be transferred to another line where monitoring or recording does not take place (if this is available).

 In the state of Queensland, however, it is not illegal to simply record a telephone conversation if you are a party to the conversation.

Canada

Canada has an "all-parties consent" approach: to record a call, you need to obtain informed consent by notifying others on the call.

1. That you intend to record the conversation.
2. Any purposes the recording will be used for.
3. That the call may only be recorded with each person's consent.

 For more details on Canada's approach, you can take a look at the Privacy Commissioner's Guidelines for Recording Customer Calls.

Germany

Germany is a two party consent country, meaning telephone recording without the consent of the two or, when applicable, more, parties is a criminal offense. In addition, Germany requires that VOIP users have a German address to use a German number.

Ireland

Irish law states that the purpose of the recording should be explained in detail, so the parties participating can give informed consent.

UK

Call recording in the UK is subject to several laws. It’s best to think of the UK as a Two Party Consent jurisdiction.

Maldives

We currently do not support calls to/from the Maldives. Please submit a request to support through the support portal if you need more information.

Other Countries

While we've listed certain countries above, it is by no means a complete list. Before making a call to a new country, we recommend making sure that you and your legal team have an understanding of any regulations there.