Recording & consent

Last updated October 5, 2026

Ask first. Tentaku records only when you press ● Record and stops when you press ■ Stop. You alone decide what to record and you are responsible for having permission. We can’t check whether you have consent.

Tentaku records only when you press ● Record and stops when you press ■ Stop. Audio stays on your computer. You are responsible for following your school’s policy and the law where you are.

Your school’s rules

Many universities require the instructor’s permission before recording a lecture, and some grant it automatically as a disability accommodation — check your student handbook. Schools also often limit sharing recordings and course materials. Those rules apply to you whatever app you use.

The law

In the United States, some states require every party’s consent to record a conversation; a lecture in an open classroom is treated differently in different places, so ask first. As of 2026, the states commonly listed as requiring everyone’s consent for at least some recordings are California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon (in person), Pennsylvania and Washington, plus Connecticut and Nevada for phone calls. Laws change and turn on the facts, such as whether people expect privacy; outside the U.S. the rules differ again. This list is general information, not legal advice.

Asking is also the respectful move, and most instructors say yes for personal note-taking.

Never

• Do not record private conversations, office hours, or classmates without their consent.
• Don’t record secretly or hide that you’re recording.
• Don’t leave Tentaku recording in a room you’re not in. Recording a conversation you aren’t present for, without anyone’s consent, can be a crime — in New York, for example.
• Don’t record exams or anywhere recording devices are banned.

Sharing

Class packs include transcripts of what the instructor said — share them only with classmates in the same course, never publicly. Never post recordings or transcripts online.

How Tentaku is built for this

• Recording is always manual and always visible: the app and the menu-bar octopus show when you’re recording, and your computer’s microphone indicator is on.
• No auto-start, no schedules, no meeting bots.
• Audio never leaves your computer and is never used to train AI by us. Class packs never include audio.

General information, not legal advice. By recording with Tentaku you accept responsibility for it under our Terms. Questions: help@tentaku.app.