#Is it illegal to record a class lecture how to#
#Is it illegal to record a class lecture free#

A recorded lecture may not be published without the consent of the lecturer. 1002.22 and 33 1002.225, a student may record video or audio of class lectures for their own personal educational use, in connection with a complaint to the public institution of higher education where the recording was made, or as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. 934.03 and subject to the protections provided in the Family Educational Rights and 32 Privacy Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C.

#Is it illegal to record a class lecture free#

If enacted, these bills (which include some provisions FIRE supports, like strong due process protections) would amend Florida’s statute on campus free expression by adding the following: Such a process would take time, and cannot be completed during the 2021 session, but doing so is necessary if the law is to avoid causing serious harm to classroom expression.Īs it stands, the Florida House of Representatives has passed HB 233, while SB 264 is awaiting its final vote on the Senate floor. Perhaps you have noticed any of the many, many, many examples across the country where students have tried to shame or sought discipline against their classmates or faculty for expressing protected, but controversial, views?Īccordingly, we urge the Florida legislature to refrain from imposing a statewide policy in this area, at least until it can truly engage all of the relevant stakeholders like faculty, campus administrators, students, and even journalists and civil libertarians whose interests may be implicated. The current social climate, in which video or audio recordings of unpopular or controversial student or faculty expression (often taken out of context) are routinely used to “cancel” people of all political persuasions via social media mobbing, makes it more obvious than ever that getting the right answer to this question is of critical importance.

#Is it illegal to record a class lecture how to#

FIRE routinely grapples with this question, and we have found no obvious or simple answer as to how to strike the proper balance. The question of whether it is appropriate for students to have the right to record in the classroom is a thorny one, given the tension between the laudable goal of transparency and the need to avoid creating conditions that threaten academic freedom and chill speech. Legislation that is close to becoming law in Florida would strongly undermine campus free speech and academic freedom by misguidedly allowing students to record classrooms.