Otter.ai, the AI-powered transcription and note-taking platform, is facing a class-action lawsuit in the United States over allegations that it secretly records private conversations on platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The suit claims that the company has been “deceptively and surreptitiously” capturing these meetings to train its transcription service, Otter Notebook, without obtaining consent from all participants. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California and seeks to represent other users in California whose conversations may have been shared unknowingly.
According to the complaint, if a meeting host has integrated their Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams account with Otter, the Otter Notetaker can join meetings without securing explicit permission from participants, including the host. The lawsuit alleges that Otter records, transcribes, and uses the contents of conversations for financial gain, a practice that could violate both state and federal privacy laws.
NPR reports that Otter’s privacy policy states it trains its AI using meeting transcripts only after users provide “explicit permission” by checking a box allowing the company and third parties to process conversations for training and product improvement. However, the lawsuit argues that many users are still misled, and that the system does not adequately notify participants when recordings are being shared with Otter.
The lawsuit has drawn attention as Otter’s AI transcription tools continue to grow in popularity. The company claims around 25 million people use its services, which have processed over 1 billion meetings since 2016. Users have raised concerns about the platform’s automated recording features on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.
The lead plaintiff, Justin Brewer from San Jacinto, claims his privacy was “seriously violated” after discovering that a confidential meeting had been recorded without his knowledge. In another case, an AI researcher alleged that Otter recorded a Zoom meeting with investors and later sent him a transcript containing sensitive details discussed after he had left the call, which contributed to a failed business deal.
Concerns have also been raised regarding sensitive interviews, such as a conversation with a Uyghur human rights activist, where users worried that shared data could be accessed by third parties or foreign governments. Otter maintains that it does not share data with foreign governments or law enforcement agencies.
Reddit users have noted that Otter can join meetings automatically if linked to workplace calendars, recording conversations without explicit consent. While Otter claims to anonymise meeting audio before using it to train its AI, the lawsuit disputes this, stating that the deidentification process does not reliably remove confidential information or guarantee speaker anonymity.
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