Is It Really Legal to Record Conversations in New York State?

Have you ever thought about recording a conversation in New York State? Maybe it was a phone call, your boss, or a business meeting with a person? While having a recording of a conversation could help you in the future, even if it is just for yourself to be able to go back to reference it, is it legal?

Whether or not it is legal, is a big deal here in New York State. Could this get you arrested? There are laws, actually every state in the nation has laws about recording conversations, but what can you do in New York State?

Is recording a conversation legal in New York State?

As with just about everything in New York State, the answer to this question isn't so cut and dry. Apparently, New York State is a 'one-party consent' state. Big words? But what do they mean? Essentially, it means that you can't record someone else's conversation. Here's an example, you are at Starbucks and you start recording the two people at the table next to you without their knowledge. Yep, not cool. You don't have their consent.

What about a conversation that you are a part of? Can you record that in New York State?

Are you a part of the conversation? Do you know that it is being recorded? Then yes, you can record the entire conversation, because you are in the conversation. While, the person you are recording, might not be happy that you are recording it without your knowledge, you can legally do it. Is that recording admissible in a court of law? Well, that you might want to check with your attorney about that.

Here are a few famous places that were scenes of very popular crimes, what do they look like 25 years later, it's pretty cool.