AI note-takers: who is recording your meeting?
Also in: Nederlands Français
AI note-takers (like Otter, Fireflies, Read.ai or Fathom) join video calls or listen through a phone, record everything and turn it into notes with AI. Agree on rules for recording, check who joins a call, and block these services on work devices and networks if they are not approved.
A strange participant joins your video call: "Notetaker". Nobody invited it, but someone's calendar did. From now on, everything you say is recorded, stored by a third party and processed by AI. For a family call that may be fine. For a doctor, a lawyer, a court or a company with client data, it is a serious problem.
Why it matters
- Consent: in the EU, recording people usually needs a legal basis and clear information. Many participants never agreed.
- Confidential data: client details, health information and case files end up with an outside service.
- Spreading: some tools join every meeting in someone's calendar automatically, also meetings with outsiders.
What you can do
- Agree on a rule: no recording without asking everyone, and never in confidential meetings.
- Use the lobby / waiting room in Teams, Zoom or Meet so you see who joins, and remove unknown bots.
- Block the services on work devices and the office network. Human Override has a category "AI recorders & note-takers" with 16 of these services, in the extension, the apps and the free Pro pack for IT.
This is not legal advice. Ask your data protection officer which tools are allowed in your organisation.
Block AI recorders with Human Override
Questions
Which note-takers are blocked?
Otter, Fireflies, Read.ai, Fathom, tl;dv, Notta, Sembly, MeetGeek, Avoma, Supernormal, Granola, Jamie, Tactiq, Limitless, Rewind and Plaud.
Can I still use an approved tool?
Yes. Untick the category, or add the tool to the always-allow list.
Does this stop someone recording with a phone?
No. It blocks the AI services, not a microphone in the room. Clear rules matter too.