When SSA employees may listen-in to or record telephone conversations.
20 C.F.R. § 422.705
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01SSA employees may listen-in to or record telephone conversations on SSA telephone lines under the following conditions:
(a) Law enforcement/national security. When performed for law enforcement, foreign intelligence, counterintelligence or communications security purposes when determined necessary by the Commissioner of Social Security or designee. Such determinations shall be in writing and shall be made in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and Executive Orders governing such activities. Communications security monitoring shall be conducted in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General. Line identification equipment may be installed on SSA telephone lines to assist Federal law enforcement officials in investigating threatening telephone calls, bomb threats and other criminal activities.
(b) Public safety. When performed by an SSA employee for public safety purposes and when documented by a written determination by the Commissioner of Social Security or designee citing the public safety needs. The determination shall identify the segment of the public needing protection and cite examples of the possible harm from which the public requires protection. Use of SSA telephone lines identified for reporting emergency and other public safety-related situations will be deemed as consent to public safety monitoring and recording. (See § 422.710(a)(1))
(c) Public service monitoring. When performed by an SSA employee after the Commissioner of Social Security or designee determines in writing that monitoring of such lines is necessary for the purposes of measuring or monitoring SSA's performance in the delivery of service to the public; or monitoring and improving the integrity, quality and utility of service provided to the public. Such monitoring will occur only on telephone lines used by employees to provide SSA-related information and services to the public. Use of such telephone lines will be deemed as consent to public service monitoring. (See § 422.710(a)(2) and (c)).
(d) All-party consent. When performed by an SSA employee with the prior consent of all parties for a specific instance. This includes telephone conferences, secretarial recordings and other administrative practices. The failure to identify all individuals listening to a conversation by speaker phone is not prohibited by this or any other section.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-20.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026