On April 1, the California Supreme Court ruled in Smith v. LoanMe Inc. that California Penal Code Section 632.7 prohibits both parties to a communication and nonparties, such as an individual who covertly intercepts and eavesdrops on a phone call, from recording a communication without the consent of all participants.

In so holding, the court increased the privacy protections for covered communications and aligned the protections afforded to calls involving cellular or cordless phones with the safeguards applicable to calls involving only landlines.

Originally published on Law360.com.