- US federal wiretap law is about intercepting wire, oral or electronic communications. Under it, one person's consent is usually enough, but not if the recording is made to commit a crime or to wrong someone in a way they could sue over. This rule alone doesn't tell you whether your recording is legal.18 U.S.C. §2511 on govinfo.gov
- Brazil's data-protection law is the LGPD, and its national authority, the ANPD, takes complaints when someone doesn't comply with it.ANPD portal, gov.br
- In Mexico, the federal personal-data law says any processing of personal data needs the consent of the person the data belongs to, except where the law itself allows otherwise.LFPDPPP Art. 7, Cámara de Diputados
- Large research video datasets got signed consent or video release forms from the people who took part.Ego4D privacy and ethics statement
Why permission comes first
A camera on your head at work films more than you. Coworkers, customers and the workplace itself end up in the footage, and each of them has a stake in how it's used. Asking first protects them and you, and it's what makes the footage usable. Our hub on how recording work works shows where this step comes in a project.
Research teams build permission into their process. The Ego4D consortium's privacy and ethics statement says that "Consent forms or video release forms were signed" by participants. The EPIC-KITCHENS project published its participant consent form, and it includes this line: "I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason."
Two kinds of permission usually matter. A release is one person's written agreement to appear in the footage. Site permission is the owner's or manager's written agreement to film in that workplace. You'll often need both.
Recording video vs recording conversations
Many people who search "recording someone at work" want to know about secretly recording a conversation. Filming a task raises a different question.
In the United States, the federal wiretap statute, 18 U.S.C. §2511, deals with intercepting "a wire, oral, or electronic communication". It says this is not unlawful where the person "is a party to the communication or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent". There is one exception: that consent rule doesn't apply if the recording is made "for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act". In plain words, one person's consent is usually enough under this law, but not if the recording is meant to commit a crime or to wrong someone in a way they could sue over. That's only the federal rule, and on its own it can't tell you whether your recording is legal.
For task recording, the practical answer is the same either way. Even where the law would allow it, recording people who haven't agreed is a bad idea. It hurts trust at work, and it can leave you with footage that no project needing releases will accept.
Who needs to agree, situation by situation
| Situation | Who should agree before you record | Good practice |
|---|---|---|
| Alone at home | Nobody else, if no one else appears | Keep mail, screens and family photos out of frame |
| Family or roommates at home | Anyone who could appear and be identified | Ask them to sign a release, or record when they are out |
| A person under 18 could appear | A parent or guardian, for that person | Avoid recording anyone under 18 unless a guardian has agreed in writing |
| At your workplace | The owner or manager, in writing, plus any identifiable coworker | Ask before the shift, not halfway through it |
| Customers or the public | Each identifiable person, which is rarely practical | Frame the work so customers don't appear |
Consent under privacy laws
Video of a person can be personal data, and many countries' privacy laws put consent at the centre of how personal data is used. Two official examples:
- In Brazil, the data-protection law is the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD). Its national authority, the ANPD (Agência Nacional de Proteção de Dados), takes complaints of non-compliance through its portal ("Denúncia de descumprimento da LGPD").
- In Mexico, the federal personal-data law, the LFPDPPP, says that "Todo tratamiento de datos personales estará sujeto al consentimiento de la persona titular, salvo las excepciones previstas por la presente Ley". In English: all processing of personal data needs the data subject's consent, except where the law provides otherwise. The law defines consent as a free, specific and informed expression of the person's will.
Rules differ by country and region, and they change. If you're unsure, ask the workplace or a local adviser before you record.
A permission checklist
- List everyone who could appear: coworkers, customers, family, anyone under 18, anyone passing through.
- If it's a workplace, get site permission in writing from the owner or manager.
- Get a signed release from every identifiable person who will appear.
- For anyone under 18, get a release from a parent or guardian, or keep that person out of frame.
- Plan the frame so people who haven't agreed stay out of view; our tips for recording first-person video show how.
- Keep copies of every release and permission in case anyone asks later.
Buyers of training data ask the same provenance questions from the other side. Our guide to training data licensing and consent covers what they check.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a manager's OK covers your coworkers. Site permission and each person's release are separate things.
- Asking after you've recorded. Permission given later doesn't fix footage shot without it, and reviewers check releases, as what gets footage accepted explains.
- Assuming task footage is exempt. A task video can pick up conversations too. Whether communications law applies depends on what you capture and on the law where you are. The name you give the footage doesn't decide it.
- Trusting an "it's fine, just record" message. A real project puts its permission rules in writing. Vague pressure to start is a warning sign of AI training job scams.
How TaskCapture handles permission
TaskCapture requires a signed release from every identifiable person and, in commercial settings, written permission from the owner or manager. A person under 18 can appear only with a parent's or guardian's release; otherwise the footage is rejected and deleted. Collectors agree to each project before recording. We run no face or voice recognition and collect no biometric identifiers. Footage reaches buyers only after quality review, datasets never include collectors' names, contact or payment data, and buyers are contractually barred from identifying anyone. The Privacy Policy and Data Collector Agreement set out the full rules, and the collector page explains pay and payout.
Questions
Can I record someone at work without telling them?
It's a bad idea even where a law might allow it, and recording projects need releases from the people in the footage. Ask first, in writing.
Is recording video the same as recording a conversation?
No, but the two can overlap. US federal wiretap law covers intercepting communications such as conversations, so if your task footage picks up a conversation, that law can matter too. Filming a task also raises privacy and consent questions, which many countries' data laws deal with.
Do I need my employer's permission to record my own work?
In practice, yes. A workplace belongs to its owner, and footage of it can show customers, coworkers and private information. Get the owner's or manager's written permission first.
What should a release say?
At minimum, it should say who is agreeing, what will be recorded, how the footage may be used and that taking part is voluntary. Published research consent forms such as the EPIC-KITCHENS one give you a model for the layout.