Federal Lawsuit Accuses Otter AI of Unlawful Recording and Data Use in Meetings
A federal lawsuit has been filed against Otter, a prominent AI transcription tool, alleging that it recorded, accessed, read, learned, and utilized the contents of people’s conversations without obtaining prior consent. The complaint, lodged in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, primarily targets Otter Notetaker, a product that produces real-time transcriptions of meetings on platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
The lawsuit asserts that Otter recorded not only account holders who use Otter Notetaker but also meeting participants who do not subscribe to Otter’s services. The suit argues that since Otter failed to disclose when it was active and recording meetings without consent, it violates both federal and California privacy laws, such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and the California Invasion of Privacy Act. It seeks class-action status.
Justin Brewer, the plaintiff, participated in a Zoom meeting in February 2025, during which Otter Notetaker transcribed the meeting without his knowledge or consent, according to the complaint, thereby allegedly “wiretapping” his communications.
While Otter’s privacy policy states that it de-identifies its audio recordings by removing identifying data, the complaint refers to research highlighting the ineffectiveness of such techniques. Additionally, it points out that one of Otter’s competitors, Read.ai, allows any participant, including non-subscribers, to halt recording during a meeting.
Privacy concerns regarding Otter’s services were previously raised in 2024 when the University of Massachusetts banned Otter.ai due to alleged violations of the state’s all-party consent law. Furthermore, NPR reported that a Politico journalist who interviewed a Uighur human rights activist in 2024 expressed concerns about potential access by the Chinese government to transcriptions of his conversations with political dissidents.
At the time of publication, Otter has not responded to requests for comment.
