One-line summary: California is an all-party-consent state for recording confidential communications under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA, Cal. Pen. Code §§ 631–632.7). For any meeting, call, or video session that includes a California participant, affirmative consent — not just notification — is required from each California participant before recording. This modifies the meeting-recording policy in §9 of the core handbook for California meetings.

California Meeting Recording — All-Party Consent (CIPA)

The California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA, Cal. Pen. Code §§ 631–632.7) prohibits recording any confidential communication without the consent of all parties to the communication. This applies to phone calls, video conferences, and other communications where any participant is in California — including meetings where one or more participants is a California-resident employee, client, vendor, or other party.

How this modifies the §9 meeting-recording policy

§9 of the core handbook describes Launch's meeting-recording policy. For meetings that include any California participant:

1. Notification alone is not enough. You must obtain affirmative consent from each California participant before recording starts.
2. Consent must be on the record. A common practice is to start the recording, then ask "Does everyone consent to this meeting being recorded?" and document each participant's affirmative response. Or obtain consent in writing in advance (e.g., calendar invite text, email).
3. Right to decline. Any California participant may decline to be recorded. If a California participant declines, recording must stop or the participant must be removed from the recorded portion.
4. Documentation. When you obtain consent, document it (e.g., note it in the meeting minutes, in the recording itself, or in a separate consent log).

Your obligations as a Launch employee

When you schedule or host a meeting with any California participant:

• Disclose in the calendar invite or pre-meeting communication that the meeting will be recorded (e.g., add a line: "This meeting will be recorded and transcribed via Fathom for documentation purposes. Please let us know in advance if you do not consent to being recorded.").
• Confirm consent verbally on the recording or via documented written consent.
• Stop recording or remove the participant if any California participant declines.

Why this matters

Violation of CIPA can result in:

• Statutory damages of up to $5,000 per violation (Cal. Pen. Code § 637.2).
• Criminal liability under Cal. Pen. Code § 632.

Launch — and the individual employee operating the recording — can be liable. This is one of the few areas where strict California compliance is materially different from Washington's one-party-consent rule (RCW 9.73.030), so attention is warranted.

Questions

If you're unsure whether a particular meeting, call, or session needs CIPA-compliant consent, ask HR at hr@launchindustries.biz or err on the side of obtaining affirmative consent.

If you notice any outdated information or typos, or need clarification on any policies, please email hr@launchindustries.biz.