# Why doesn't anybody record conversations with government officials?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anybody-record-conversations-with-government-officials/946662>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 16, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anybody-record-conversations-with-government-officials/946662 "2021-07-16T18:59:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 24

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anybody-record-conversations-with-government-officials/946662/24 "2021-07-17T08:57:11Z")

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Looks like DC has a one-party consent law. So it would be legal to record your conversations in general.

> **[Recording Phone Calls and Conversations: 50-State Survey](https://www.justia.com/50-state-surveys/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations/)**
>
> A survey of the electronic recording and eavesdropping laws of the 50 US states and DC, including how many parties must consent to the recording, with links to relevant case law and statutes.

I don’t know if there are special rules for classified conversations. Do conversations even become classified until they’ve happened?

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