> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://portaldocs.peartelco.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Consent and privacy > What Pear asks before recording, how consent is recorded for each kind of recording, and how long audio, transcripts and notes are kept ## Overview Recording a conversation is regulated in every Australian state. Aria Scribe is built so that nothing is recorded, transcribed or copied out without a named person confirming that the people in the recording agreed to it. This page explains what is asked, when, and what is stored. ## Consent for each kind of recording | Recording | When you are asked | Who confirms | | - | - | - | | **In the room** | Before recording starts, in the **Before you record** window | You, the clinician recording it | | **On screen** (video consult) | Before recording starts, the same window | You | | **On the phone** | Not at all if your phone system plays "this call may be recorded" and Pear has confirmed that. Otherwise, on the note, before you can finalise it | You, when you open the note | | **Dictated** | Never. Nobody else is in the recording | Nobody | ### Before you record For a consult in the room or on screen, clicking **Record this consult** opens a window with your practice's consent statement, for example "The patient consented to this consult being recorded." Underneath is **What this is based on (optional)**, pre-filled with your practice's standing answer if it has one, such as "Consent recorded at intake". Edit it if this consult is different. Click **Confirm and record**. Recording starts. Nothing is captured before that click, and there is no way past the window without confirming. **Cancel** records nothing at all. > [!NOTE] > > This is deliberate. A browser recording plays no announcement to the patient, so your confirmation is the only record that they agreed. It is kept with the recording: who confirmed, when, and what it was based on. ### Phone calls Your phone system may play "this call may be recorded" before every call connects. Where it does, Pear confirms that on the phone system, and calls from it are treated as consented from the moment they are recorded. You are not asked again. Where a phone system has not been confirmed, a phone consult's note shows an amber bar asking you to confirm consent, and the note cannot be finalised or copied until you do. If you find yourself confirming on every phone note, ask Pear Support whether your phone system's announcement can be confirmed. ### Older recordings Consults recorded before consent was asked at the start still show the amber bar on their note. Confirm once and it is recorded. ## What is stored, and for how long Three things come out of a recording, and they are kept for different lengths of time. Your practice chooses the periods; the defaults are set with Pear when Scribe is switched on. | What | Kept until | Then | | - | - | - | | **Audio** of a consult that was written up | A set number of days after the note is finalised, so a note reviewed the following week can still be checked against what was said | Removed | | **Audio** of a consult nobody writes up | A set number of days after the recording | Removed | | **Transcript** | Kept, unless your practice has chosen to remove transcripts a set number of days after the note is finalised | Removed on that schedule | | **Notes and letters** | Kept | Never removed by the retention schedule | | **Consent record** | Kept with the recording | Kept | Phone call recordings follow the retention period set for your phone system, which may be different. ## Where things go * Audio is recorded in your browser and sent to Pear's storage in Australia as it is captured. * Storage, transcription and note writing all run in Microsoft Azure data centres in Australia. No Aria Scribe data is processed or stored offshore. Nothing is sent to your practice software, and nothing is emailed. * Retention periods are deliberately short. Audio is kept only long enough to check a note against it, and then removed. * Consult names are left out of exports from the Scribe list, so patient names stay in the portal. * A note only ever reaches your practice software when a person copies and pastes it there. ## Frequently asked questions **The patient agreed verbally. Is that enough?** That is a question for your practice's policy and your state's law, not for the portal. What the portal does is record that you, at that moment, confirmed they agreed, and what you based that on. Put "verbal, at the start of the consult" in the field if that is what happened. **Can I record without consent and confirm later?** Not for a consult in the room or on screen. Recording will not start. For a phone call from an unconfirmed phone system, the recording is made by the phone system, and the note asks you before anything can be finalised or copied. **Who can see the consent record?** Anyone who can open the note sees the green "Consent recorded for this consult" line. The name, time and basis are stored with the recording. **Can consent be withdrawn?** Delete the recording through your practice manager or Pear Support. The retention schedule also removes audio and, if chosen, transcripts on its own. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.