I know it's legal in the state of Texas, so my question isn't about that, but rather…is it right and what's it say about the person?

It came to light today that our executive director with the chamber of commerce secretly recorded a conversation. As with many things, I can't break from the assumptions that if she records one, she records them all.

I serve on the board and I'm at a crossroads as to whether or not this individual should be trusted and aside from CYA, what their intentions are?

What say you?

trust no one

I would trust no one that secretly recorded a conservation.

You are right to be suspicious of this person.

You're on the Board.....but have to ask an internet message board what to do?

oof.

If they're recording phone calls, its for a reason. Unless you know what their reason is, its best to be very wary of conversations you have with the individual.

What would happen if you asked him why he recorded the conversation?

Sorry. *She

One point of clarification...it's legal in the State of Texas as long as ONE of the parties on the call consents to it. In other words, it's not legal to record a phone call between two people when neither of them knows about it or consents to it. But you only need one.

I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time. You should assume everything is recorded and beware of your behavior. For me, it's about remembering the discussion correctly and being able to call someone out when they lie about what was said or done. People lie and twist the truth all the time. It's nice to be able to know they are lying and prove it if necessary.

Picard said:

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You're on the Board.....but have to ask an internet message board what to do?

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My very strong feeling is to step down on account of not being able to trust the person.

I'm also just interested to see what other folks thought about the matter or if they've ever encountered something similar.

In this instance it exonerated her in a "he said she said" case, but she also had another staff member listening too that could've vouched for her. Just because it's good in some instances doesn't mean it's good in all instances and could do real damage to people who believe they are having a private conversation.

Why would it be wrong for anyone to record a conversation? If everyone is law abiding seems like not a big deal. We record teams meetings all the time. Only people who have a hard time with the truth being out in public would question recording conversations.

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I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time.

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Sorry, that is weird. You are in the minority here. Take better notes.

Old_Ag_91 said:

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Why would it be wrong for anyone to record a conversation? If everyone is law abiding seems like not a big deal. We record teams meetings all the time. Only people who have a hard time with the truth being out in public would question recording conversations.

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Because I'd like to think that if I tell you something personal or in confidence, it wouldn't be possible for it to become publicly known.

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If everyone is law abiding seems like not a big deal

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Scary people think this!

Trust your gut. In the end, your gut Rarely fails you.

Im Gipper said:

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I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time.

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Sorry, that is weird. You are in the minority here. Take better notes.

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Notes can be incorrect or changed. Recording someone when discussing a serious matter means they can't say I wrote it down wrong or am mischaracterizing it.

I don't care if I'm in the minority. I do what I need to do to make sure other people don't get away with lying.


I'm very suspicious of people who have a problem with being recorded. What are they hiding? What do they want to be able to say that they don't want other people to hear?

Who are you dealing with that lying is such a huge concern? If you are making agreements or deals, they should always be reduced to writing!

Do you tell these people you are recording them?

GeographyAg said:

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Im Gipper said:

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Quote:

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I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time.

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Sorry, that is weird. You are in the minority here. Take better notes.

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Notes can be incorrect or changed. Recording someone when discussing a serious matter means they can't say I wrote it down wrong or am mischaracterizing it.

I don't care if I'm in the minority. I do what I need to do to make sure other people don't get away with lying.


I'm very suspicious of people who have a problem with being recorded. What are they hiding? What do they want to be able to say that they don't want other people to hear?

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As I mentioned earlier, maybe they just want to tell you something in confidence and not have to worry about it being preserved for all time.

If you called somebody to tell them you didn't love you wife anymore or you were thinking about quitting your job or contracted some awful disease, how would you feel if you found out the other person recorded that call?

Do you tell everybody you talk to you're recording them?

Old_Ag_91 said:

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Why would it be wrong for anyone to record a conversation? If everyone is law abiding seems like not a big deal. We record teams meetings all the time. Only people who have a hard time with the truth being out in public would question recording conversations.

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Because with technology and AI it will soon be possible to record an order for a large meat lover's pizza and turn it into a confession of organizing an insurrection.

The NSA is recording all my calls, why shouldn't I have my own copy.

Im Gipper said:

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Who are you dealing with that lying is such a huge concern? If you are making agreements or deals, they should always be reduced to writing!

Do you tell these people you are recording them?

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Every phone call to and from Charles Schwab is recorded. Every legal conversation is recorded.

It's just good business practice, imho.

GeographyAg said:

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Im Gipper said:

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Who are you dealing with that lying is such a huge concern? If you are making agreements or deals, they should always be reduced to writing!

Do you tell these people you are recording them?

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Every phone call to and from Charles Schwab is recorded. Every legal conversation is recorded.

It's just good business practice, imho.

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There's a big difference between business phone calls having to do with somebody's personal financials and personal phone calls. AND it's disclosed at the beginning of the call that it's being recorded.

No comparison.

The only time we record phone calls at work is when we know it will benefit our cause as evidence in a legal proceeding.

Short of that reasoning, it's a big no no.

SquareOne07 said:

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GeographyAg said:

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Im Gipper said:

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Quote:

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I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time.

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Sorry, that is weird. You are in the minority here. Take better notes.

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Notes can be incorrect or changed. Recording someone when discussing a serious matter means they can't say I wrote it down wrong or am mischaracterizing it.

I don't care if I'm in the minority. I do what I need to do to make sure other people don't get away with lying.


I'm very suspicious of people who have a problem with being recorded. What are they hiding? What do they want to be able to say that they don't want other people to hear?

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As I mentioned earlier, maybe they just want to tell you something in confidence and not have to worry about it being preserved for all time.

If you called somebody to tell them you didn't love you wife anymore or you were thinking about quitting your job or contracted some awful disease, how would you feel if you found out the other person recorded that call?

Do you tell everybody you talk to you're recording them?

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Whether or not it's bad to record someone I think depends on their intentions. If you're doing it to entrap people, and use it to cause scandal, then it's bad.
But if all she's done is use it to exonerate herself, there's nothing you've said that makes me think her intentions are nefarious. She hasn't betrayed anyone's trust or used the recording to try and extort people.

SquareOne07 said:

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GeographyAg said:

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Im Gipper said:

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Who are you dealing with that lying is such a huge concern? If you are making agreements or deals, they should always be reduced to writing!

Do you tell these people you are recording them?

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Every phone call to and from Charles Schwab is recorded. Every legal conversation is recorded.

It's just good business practice, imho.

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There's a big difference between business phone calls having to do with somebody's personal financials and personal phone calls. AND it's disclosed at the beginning of the call that it's being recorded.

No comparison.

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Okay. The point is, that they record them to make sure that they aren't blamed for saying something they didn't say. It's the same idea, imho.

I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'll record calls and conversations when I think I need to to cover my backside.

If someone told me something in confidence I'd never share it but I've been burned enough times to know that people can really twist things around if they think they can get away with it so I record any conversation with someone I don't really trust.

I'm glad y'all are trusting and willing to talk with others thinking they're not ever going to lie. I'm just not that way.

Yeah the story makes it sound to me like she correctly figured that she would additional evidence to support her position. I'm guessing there is backstory there that is not being told.

Disclosure is key here. There are legit reasons for recording. But doing it without the other party's knowledge is a huge red flag for me,

Bob Lee said:

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SquareOne07 said:

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GeographyAg said:

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Im Gipper said:

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Quote:

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I record serious (not friend) conversations all the time.

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Sorry, that is weird. You are in the minority here. Take better notes.

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Notes can be incorrect or changed. Recording someone when discussing a serious matter means they can't say I wrote it down wrong or am mischaracterizing it.

I don't care if I'm in the minority. I do what I need to do to make sure other people don't get away with lying.


I'm very suspicious of people who have a problem with being recorded. What are they hiding? What do they want to be able to say that they don't want other people to hear?

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As I mentioned earlier, maybe they just want to tell you something in confidence and not have to worry about it being preserved for all time.

If you called somebody to tell them you didn't love you wife anymore or you were thinking about quitting your job or contracted some awful disease, how would you feel if you found out the other person recorded that call?

Do you tell everybody you talk to you're recording them?

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Whether or not it's bad to record someone I think depends on their intentions. If you're doing it to entrap people, and use it to cause scandal, then it's bad.
But if all she's done is use it to exonerate herself, there's nothing you've said that makes me think her intentions are nefarious. She hasn't betrayed anyone's trust or used the recording to try and extort people.

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Well the outcome of this particular phone call exonerated her. But I have no idea how many others she has and what purpose they serve her.

I would imagine that a voice recording of people saying any numbers of things they would say with the expectation of privacy could get them in hot water with somebody.

First get the government to stop recording every conversation that can be stored, then when she records you can then have a this problem.

Squadron7 said:

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Disclosure is key here. There are legit reasons for recording. But doing it without the other party's knowledge is a huge red flag for me,

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Was it a red flag to you that the other party seemingly lied during the "he said, she said" argument in an attempt to harm the lady recording?

Fenrir said:

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Yeah the story makes it sound to me like she correctly figured that she would additional evidence to support her position. I'm guessing there is backstory there that is not being told.

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She was confronting a staff member of another chamber of commerce why he was having a drink with some of her board members.

That doesn't answer my question.

SquareOne07 said:

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In this instance it exonerated her in a "he said she said" case

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Sounds like she was smart to record. Perhaps this was a short term thing because she knew this conflict was coming?

Since it is legal to record, I assume by default that any conversation I have could be recorded. Especially when I call my wife at a DOE contractor!

Ethically, I think it sucks if you don't inform the other party. But it's not a deal breaker for me.

You have little privacy in today's world. Behave accordingly

I love recording phone calls. For reasons.

If you are recording someone in a conversation without telling them you were doing so, that says a lot more about you than it does the person you were worried about lying later.

It is a completely unethical thing to do. If you were worried about someone changing their story later, you should have no problem telling them upfront that you are recording.