Is it legal to record a conversation I'm part of?

In most of the US, yes — one-party consent means you can record a conversation you're in. About a dozen states (California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, and others) require all parties to consent. Verify the law where the conversation happens — and when in doubt, disclose.

What about recording calls across state lines?

The conservative rule is to follow the strictest applicable law — if anyone on the call is in an all-party state, get everyone's consent.

Does Fluent announce itself like a meeting bot?

No — nothing joins the call or appears in a participant list. That's a feature for the room, but it means disclosure is entirely on you. This is not legal advice; it's the framework most professionals actually use.

Recording consent: what to know before you capture

Fluent captures conversations without a bot joining anything — which means the disclosure obligation is yours, not software's. Here's how recording consent works in the US.

The two regimes

One-party consent — the federal baseline and the law in most states. If you're part of the conversation, you may record it. The other person doesn't legally have to know.

All-party consent — about a dozen states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington, require everyone in the conversation to agree to recording. Some apply it to any conversation; others only where there's a reasonable expectation of privacy.

The practical rules most professionals follow:

Where the conversation happens governs. Multi-state call? Follow the strictest law in the mix — if anyone's in an all-party state, get everyone's consent.
"Reasonable expectation of privacy" is the hinge. A public keynote is not a private dinner. Courts care about context, not just state lines.
Workplace policies can be stricter than law. Many employers prohibit recording regardless of consent law — check yours before wearing a pendant to the office.
Laws change. This is the framework, not legal advice — verify current law where you are.

How people actually disclose

The pendant users who do this well don't make it weird. The moves that work:

Name it early, plainly. "Heads up — I wear a pendant that records so I don't take notes. Okay?" Most people say fine and forget it in ninety seconds.
Put it in writing for repeat relationships. Recruiters put a line in the interview confirmation email. Coaches put it in the engagement letter. Written disclosure survives memory.
Offer the off switch. "I can take it off" costs you nothing and buys real trust — the offer is usually all anyone wanted.
Don't record what you wouldn't want played back. If a conversation starts somewhere sensitive, pause capture. The recording you don't have can't hurt anyone.

What Fluent does with it

Your recordings are encrypted at rest, processed under your account, and never used to train models. The data side is covered in where your data lives; the consent side is on you.

Where your data lives and how to delete it
Fluent for recruiters — consent in hiring workflows
Security