Transcription app Otter AI sued for recording meetings without user consent to train AI

The AI-based note-taking and transcription platform Otter.ai is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging it illegally records and uses users’ voices to train its AI systems without user consent. The suit centers on Otter’s “Otter Notetaker” feature, which records meetings hosted on Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to generate transcriptions and summaries.

According to the complaint, Otter’s privacy policy and FAQ state that recorded voices are used for training speech recognition models. However, plaintiffs claim Otter records not only account holders but also non-account meeting participants, who are allegedly never asked to consent to having their voices recorded or subjected to machine learning processes. Plaintiffs argue these practices violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and several California privacy laws.

The complaint notes that Otter has reached $100 million in annual revenue, suggesting the company profits from these practices without ensuring proper consent. The lawsuit anticipates Otter.ai may argue that account holders are responsible for informing guests of its data practices, but plaintiffs reject this, insisting the company itself must seek direct consent.