When Is It Illegal to Record in California?
On April 1, 2021, the California Supreme Court held that California Penal Code § 632.7 prohibits anyone—both third parties and parties to the call—from intentionally recording communications involving a cellular or cordless telephone without receiving consent from all participants of the call. This decision settles a short-lived split in California case law of whether California law prohibiting the recording of communications over a cellular or cordless phone applies to parties to that communication or only third-parties.