Recording & Consent Policy

This policy explains when and how Adamic records meetings, how we ask for and log consent, the laws that shape our approach, and what you can do if you were recorded. It forms part of our Terms of Service.

1. Our approach: everyone is asked, every time

Recording laws differ around the world. Some places allow a conversation to be recorded if just one participant agrees; others require every participant to agree. To keep things simple and fair, Adamic asks every participant for consent in every recorded meeting, wherever they are. Nobody is recorded without first seeing a clear notice.

2. The recording notice

When you enter a meeting room, before your audio or video is included in any recording, you see a notice stating that the meeting is recorded, what the recording is used for (playback by room members, an AI-generated summary and action items), and links to this policy and the Privacy Policy. You must choose one of three options:

• Join & consent — you are included in the recording.
• Join without being recorded — you take part in the meeting, but your audio, video and transcript lines are left out of the recording and the summary.
• Leave — you exit without joining.

A red REC badge is shown to everyone for the whole meeting so that people who join later, or forget, can always see that recording is on. Until you choose, nothing of yours is recorded.

3. How consent is logged

For each meeting session, we log your choice, the policy version shown, the time, and your browser type. Hosts can see which participants have declined. These records help show that consent was obtained and are kept as described in the Privacy Policy (account lifetime plus 3 years).

4. Changing your mind during a meeting

You can withdraw consent at any time with the Stop recording me button in the meeting. From that moment:

• your audio and video are no longer written to the recording;
• your speech is no longer added to the recording-linked transcript or used in the meeting summary;
• live translation can continue for you if you have given voice consent, because translation does not depend on recording.

You can opt back in with the same button. Withdrawing consent does not erase what was recorded before you withdrew; to remove that, request deletion (Section 8).

5. The legal background

The following summary explains the main rules we have designed around. It is general information, not a complete statement of every law.

United States — federal law. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA, 18 U.S.C. § 2511) is a "one-party consent" law, meaning a conversation may be recorded if at least one participant consents.

United States — all-party consent states. Several states require the consent of all participants. They include California (California Invasion of Privacy Act, Penal Code § 632), Florida (Fla. Stat. § 934.03), Illinois (Eavesdropping Act, 720 ILCS 5/14-2), Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. Others, such as Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Nevada and Oregon, have all-party or context-specific rules for certain kinds of communication. Because a single meeting can include people in many states, Adamic applies the stricter all-party approach to everyone.

European Union (GDPR). Recording a person's voice and image is processing of personal data. We rely on each participant's consent for being recorded, which must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous, and can be withdrawn as easily as it was given. That is why declining never prevents you from joining.

United Kingdom (UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018). The same principles apply, enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office.

Canada (PIPEDA). Organizations must obtain meaningful consent and explain the purposes of collection. Our notice states the purposes, and recordings are used only for them.

Australia. State and territory surveillance devices laws (for example in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland) restrict recording private conversations without consent, and the Privacy Act 1988 (Australian Privacy Principles) governs how recordings are handled. Our all-party consent model meets the stricter versions.

China (PIPL). The Personal Information Protection Law requires separate consent for certain processing and for transfers outside China. Participants in China are asked for consent like everyone else, and the Privacy Policy explains our international transfers.

Hosts and organizations remain responsible for any extra obligations that apply to them, such as notifying employees under local employment law.

6. What is recorded and how it is produced

During a recorded meeting, our relay keeps a copy of the encoded audio and video of participants who consented. When the meeting ends, we combine them into a grid video (MP4, with a WebM copy for wider browser support) and an audio-only file, then store them in object storage. The raw pieces are deleted once the final files exist (or after at most 7 days if processing fails and is not retried). Translated audio and captions are not part of the recording; the recording contains people's original voices.

7. Who can access recordings, and for how long

Recordings, transcripts and summaries are available to members of the room: its owner, members of the owning organization, and people who took part in the meeting. External guests receive a read-only summary only if the host sends one, and see the recording only if the host explicitly allows it. Recordings that include a minor are never shared externally by default. Recordings, transcripts and summaries are kept for 12 months in Business rooms and 90 days in Consumer rooms and then deleted automatically, unless deleted earlier.

8. Asking for a recording you appear in to be deleted

Open the room thread, find the meeting, and choose Request deletion. The room host is notified and can approve. If the host does not act within 30 days, the request is approved automatically and the recording is deleted. You can also write to privacy@adamic.io. Deleted recordings are removed from access immediately and their stored files are erased, at the latest within 30 days.

9. Contact

Questions about recording: privacy@adamic.io or legal@adamic.io.