BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A bill that would require both people in an in-person conversation to know if they are being recorded will soon be decided on by state lawmakers.
Specifically, House Bill 410 would prohibit a person from using a device to record or transcribe a direct conversation with another party unless all parties are specifically informed that the conversation is being recorded.
“Somebody shouldn’t be recording a conversation of you, and you don’t know,” said Robert Lee, a resident.
Barb Ingraham, another resident, said she supports the change.
“I don’t think anybody should be able to just record you because they could put it online and, you know, it could do a lot of harm,” Ingraham said.
Exceptions and penalties
The bill would not apply in certain situations, including public or semi-public meetings, law enforcement activity, emergencies, or other situations that could capture evidence of a crime, and public officials performing official duties in public places where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
The bill would also allow a person to record a law enforcement officer in the performance of official duties while the officer is in a public place or place where the private person has a legal right to be. The exception would not extend to an individual who physically interferes or materially obstructs lawful law enforcement activity.
“I do think police should be able to record conversations without somebody’s knowledge,” Ingraham said. “I feel like that’s how they get a lot of the information that they need.”