These guidelines apply to video, audio and text recordings of work meetings, online meetings, teaching sessions, lectures, webinars, presentations and other events. They cover recordings made using Zoom, Teams and other recording services.
Before recording, define its purpose, intended audience and how long it will be kept. Inform participants in advance. Share the recording only with those who need it and delete it when it is no longer needed for its intended purpose.
Responsibilities of the person making the recording
The person making the recording is responsible for assessing whether it is necessary and for protecting, sharing, storing and deleting it. If the recording is provided to another person, the recipient is responsible for handling it and for any further sharing.
A recording may contain personal data, such as names, voices, images and information shared during discussions. It may also contain copyrighted material. Share the recording only with people who need it for their work or studies.
Copying or further sharing of a recording distributed online cannot be fully prevented: someone may take screenshots or make a separate recording without the service notifying you. Carefully limit the content, intended audience and viewing permissions.
Do not make your own recording of an event without the organiser’s permission. The same data protection, information security and copyright principles apply to recordings made by participants as to those made by the organiser.
Before recording
Assess whether recording is necessary
Record only when there is a justified need, for example to help students review course content, support absent participants, orientation or accessibility, or keep a record of results and next steps. A public lecture or presentation may also be intended for recording. Consider whether meeting notes, presentation materials or lecture notes would be sufficient, or whether you could record only part of the event.
- Could recording make participants less willing to speak openly?
- Will the event involve confidential matters or personal data that should not be recorded?
- Have you defined the intended audience, how long the recording will be kept and where it will be stored securely?
If meeting notes are enough, there is usually no need to record the entire meeting. If you make a temporary recording to help write the notes, delete it as soon as the notes are ready.
Recording teaching sessions, lectures and webinars
- Decide whether the recording will be used only for the current course or also later.
- Ensure clear audio and a clear structure. Describe essential on-screen information aloud so that the content can be followed without seeing the screen.
If the recording will later be used on another course or as permanent material for an online course, treat it as reusable learning material. Before publishing it, check that the content is up to date and review its accessibility, usage rights, handling of personal data and captions.
What and who will be recorded?
As a rule, do not record confidential discussions, such as performance review or student guidance discussions, personnel matters, or discussions involving special categories of personal data, such as health data. Pause the recording before discussing these matters.
If a participant does not want to appear or be heard in the recording, agree on an alternative way to participate in advance. For example, the participant can turn off their camera and microphone, or you can record only part of the event. If necessary, provide another suitable way to participate. Where possible, also allow people to follow a recorded public event without appearing or being heard in the recording.
Before recording an interactive work, teaching or guidance discussion, check the legal basis for processing the personal data in the recording. Check your institution’s data protection guidelines and ask its Data Protection Officer for advice if you are unsure.
Data protection guidelines and contact details:
Processing of personal data at the University of Oulu (oulu.fi)
Privacy policy (oamk.fi)
Make sure you have the right to record and share the images, videos, audio and other materials you use. Limit the camera view and screen sharing so that bystanders and unrelated information are not included in the recording. Where possible, share only the required window and make sure unrelated background conversations cannot be heard.
Hide participants’ names in the recording unless they are necessary for its intended purpose.
Inform participants in advance
Mention the recording in the meeting invitation or event information.
Explain the purpose of the recording, what will be recorded, where and for how long it will be stored, and who it will be shared with. Provide contact details for questions about recording and for arranging alternative ways to participate.
During the event
- Remind participants about the recording before you start it.
- Advise participants to turn off their cameras if they do not need to appear in the recording.
- Pause the recording before confidential sections or sections that should not be recorded.
- Bear in mind that chat messages may appear in the recording.
- Read a question posted in the chat aloud before answering so that viewers of the recording also understand the context.
After recording
- Before sharing, check which service the recording has been saved to or automatically transferred to.
- Watch the recording and edit it if necessary. Remove unnecessary discussions, interruptions and other information that should not be included.
- Check the captions and transcript and correct significant errors.
- Set viewing permissions for the agreed audience. Do not share the recording more widely than necessary.
- Delete the unedited original file if it contains material that needs to be removed and there is no justification for keeping it.
- Delete the recording when it is no longer needed for its intended purpose or when the time set for keeping it has ended. Set a calendar reminder for deletion if needed.
Store teaching recordings and other videos intended for longer-term use in Panopto. Zoom cloud recordings are automatically transferred there. Transfer recordings you make in other services to Panopto when necessary.
Zoom cloud recording instructions (ict.oulu.fi)
Panopto user guides and support (ict.oulu.fi)
Problems and incidents
If a recording reaches unauthorised people or is shared in an inappropriate context, this may be a data protection or information security incident. Follow your organisation’s information security incident guidelines.
If a recording is lost, contact ICT Services. If someone requests a recording under the Act on the Openness of Government Activities or on the basis of another right, contact your organisation’s Legal Services before providing the recording.
Information security deviation and notification (ict.oulu.fi)