privacy act

[Unregistered]

On a teleconference call that is not open to the public what is the expectation of privacy?

 

[army judge]

On a teleconference call that is not open to the public what is the expectation of privacy?

It depends on where the call originates, and or who all is on line.


I suggest you discuss your concerns with the sponsor of the call.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

army judge is correct. State law determines privacy laws - but you also haven't given us all the details. Let's assume it's a common question asked here such as whether a telephone call can be recorded by one party. That would depend upon state law as to whether all the participants must consent to the recording, whether only one participant must consent (which could be the person recording), etc. State laws vary and, as you can see, it my come down to the state law in the place other than where you hopped onto the conference call.

There are many other circumstances that might apply. For example, is your question concerning a discussion that might involve a privilege, such as a call with a lawyer that involves you and your wife? There is a husband-wife privilege which might limit what was shared on the phone call from being admissible in court. There is also an attorney-client privilege that may apply.

But let's assume that this is typical conference call with other parties. Did you sign a document such as a confidentiality agreement? That might govern the privacy of the matters discussed during your call.

So you can see, there can be many factors in addition to state law that may determine whether the discussion during your conference call might be subject to privacy or confidentiality.