Your Butt-Dials Can Be Recorded, Federal Court Says. A federal appeals court said the recipients of butt- or pocket-dials are free to record what they hear.

The National Journal reports:

Next time you're talking trash, or talking about sensitive business matter, double-check your cell phone—because if you've accidentally butt-dialed someone, it's perfectly legal for that person to record everything you say.

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that accidental phone calls aren't private. You might not have intended for the recipient of the call to hear what you were saying, but you still called, and that means the recipient is entitled to listen—and even to record the call, the court said.

A pocket- or butt-dial is comparable to leaving your blinds open, a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court said—it's not an invasion of your privacy for someone to look in the open window.


The pocket-dial in question could have come straight out of a sitcom: It happened while two members of the Cincinnati airport's governing board were discussing business matters—including whether to replace the airport's CEO. But one of them had accidentally pocket-dialed the CEO's executive assistant.

Just a reminder.