Tell HN: Notion Desktop is monitoring your audio and network

Post by brookst » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 1:28 PM UTC

const_cast wrote: post #102

brookst wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any evidence for “almost certainly”? That seems a huge leap of faith to build a whole worldview on. Kind of circular, really.

Yes, virtually every commercial application I've ever seen allows exfiltration of data, usually close to all of it, and you agree to it by signing both an EULA and privacy policy. Based off of that, I then assume that other companies are exfiltrating as much data as possible off my devices. I mean, even your car, which, keep in mind, is a multi-tens-of-thousands dollar product, exfiltrates your location, all your tex…

Post by fusslo » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 2:14 PM UTC

incoming1211 wrote: post #69

wustep wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thanks, will fwd to team you're talking about the desktop notification in particular, right?

* team receives feedback "Bin it, no one will turn it on, make them turn it off if they don't want it"

Post by sevenseacat » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

toddmorey wrote: post #65

I have a funny story: I went to go to a notion doc and just intuitively pressed command-O in the app to open the notion doc I wanted. Of course that command doesn’t open notion docs—what that does is turn on audio transcription. So two hours later, I realize I’ve transcribed at the bottom of our team overview page what read like the diary of a madman from fragments of conversation I was having with my wife and dog. I…

Post by 93po » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 2:34 PM UTC

fusslo wrote: post #154

wustep wrote: post #41

Hey! 1. Notion records audio only during your use of the Meeting Notes feature. Here are the docs: https://www.notion.com/help/ai-meeting-notes 2. Notion desktop app has notifications about meetings that ask you if you want to use Meeting Notes, it recognizes this by detecting that your microphone is on (i.e. it does not listen to audio coming from your microphone). This feature is a setting in preferences btw, under…

How does it work in two-party consent states? Like, I can give my consent, but the meeting attendees can't, right? Does Notion just listen to me, not my attendees? I only ask because we got an email about recording meetings from HR/Legal a couple weeks ago and I never considered it before

Post by 93po » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 2:43 PM UTC

fusslo wrote: post #158

93po wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i assume it's the user's responsibility to use software legally

I think you're probably right I believe it's Notion, not me, who is doing the recording. And Notion doesn't require everyone's consent, just mine. So if I am to take your meaning, it'd be up to me to disable the meeting notes if any other attendee is in a 2 party consent state (assuming everyone is in the US, IDK how other countries handle that)