A Brief Test of Human Nature

10 comments

1. As I understand it, due to a quirk in Canadian law, you only need the consent of one party to the call in order to record it. If you give yourself permission, you’re covered legally. Morally is a whole other issue.

2. so was it a test of your human nature? i don’t get it.
   the woman sounded polite and competent, something you don’t run into much lately.

3. Armando: The title’s kind of a joke. Mostly, I was just pleased to be treated, as you say, politely and competently. Which is to say, the parking people passed the test.

4. Twelve dollars for three hours??? Horrible! At least they comped the ticket.

5. $12? highway robbery!

   i avoid privately owned parking lots if at all possible. in victoria there are six or so city-owned parking lots downtown that are much, much cheaper. and nicer. when they close in the evening and your car is still parked there, they leave a small envelope for you to deposit your money in and leave at the booth. they even give you 72 hours to pay!

   for the past couple of weeks the city of victoria has been giving “courtesy parking tickets” at metered spots with the time expired, in the spirit of the season. there’s even a short christmas poem on the ticket. i think that’s pretty cool.

6. Mark:

   I think you’re right — if the conversation is for someone’s own use. Different rules apply when you’re broadcasting something, though.

   I work in radio, and we need permission from whoever is on the tape to use it (unless they’re talking in a public forum.)

   I’m not sure how that applies to the interet.

   LJ

7. Julie: I agree, $12 is absurd, but it’s the market value in downtown Vancouver.

   Those courtesy tickets are so Victoria. Presumably, being the provincial capitol, they’re well-funded enough to forego a couple of weeks’ parking revenue.

8. Not sure if they’re doing it this year but a private parking company in Vancouver forgives any parking fines if you bring them a food donation during the holidays. Each ticket requires a donation of some sort. Does anyone know if that’s happening this year? I haven’t heard anything.

9. Mark and Lisa are both right, more or less.

   This technically falls under wiretap legislation which states it’s illegal to record a phone conversation without the consent of ONE PARTY, unless you have a warrant. Of course, as you are the one party who has consented, you’re covered.

   This is NOT the same in the U.S. where it’s governed on a state-by-state basis and about half forbid any recording without both parties knowing.

   The customer-service line about “This call may be recorded for quality assurance” really doesn’t need to be there under Canadian law. Both they, and you, have the right to record the call.

   As Lisa stated, when it comes to broadcasting that recording, the rules change a bit, but that isn’t a part of Canadian law, it’s actually a combination of CRTC directive and individual station policies.

   The CRTC has ruled that radio stations must get the permission of a recorded party before broadcasting a phone conversation. Paradoxically, television stations do not need this permission. This is why you see TV shows like The Fifth Estate using surruptitously recorded phone calls on air, but you’ll rarely hear a radio show doing likewise.

   As an aside, at the CBC, if we want to record someone on the street or in a store without their knowledge, we need to get the permission of the chief radio news editor. It’s not an easy process — I’ve tried twice and been declined both times.

   So, you’re in the clear. You were allowed to record that call (and any in which you are a participant) and you can also distribute that recording without someone’s permission. Just don’t air it on a radio station without permission. Yes, it’s a double-standard and no, I don’t quite understand the distinction in real terms.

   One more catch: Don’t forget that common law like libel and slander still apply! So if that parking attendant had said that her ex-husband used to beat her and (a) it wasn’t true, and (b) you “aided in the distribution” of that slander, you will be named in the lawsuit too.

   So just be sure that if you’re going to distribute audio that you can stand behind its authenticity. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t SAY it — if you distributed it, it’s the same as if you said it.

   Two more small items, then I’ll go away:

   1. Nice clean recording. How did you do that?

   2. That woman seemed nice, but she succumbed to one of my biggest pet peeves — she wasn’t able to use a verb without putting “go ahead and” in front of it.

   There. I’ll stop now.

   P.S. Hi Lisa!

10. Tod: Very enlightening, thanks for the detailed explanation.

    I used a little doohicky I bought at Radio Shack, which plugs into my portable phone, my computer and a phone headset. Nothing particularly fancy or expensive, as far as I can figure. Then I used this idiot-proof application called Propaganda to do the recording and quick editing.

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