Rhode Island
| CITATION | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-35-21; § 12-5.1 |
| SUMMARY |
It is illegal to intercept, attempt to intercept, or get any other person to intercept any wire, electronic, or oral communication or disclose the communication. The state’s highest court has expressly recognized that the law allows the recording of conversations with the consent of one party only. Pulawski v. Blais, 506 A.2d 76 (R.I. 1986). The Supreme Court of Rhode Island has also stated that Rhode Island’s wiretapping laws should be interpreted more strictly than federal wiretapping statutes “in the interest of giving the full measure of protection to an individual’s privacy.” State v. O’Brien, 774 A.2d 89 (R.I. 2001). |
| CONSENT REQUIRED | 1 party to communication. |
| PENALTIES |
Any person who intercepts, attempts to intercept, or gets any other person to intercept any wire, electronic, or oral communication or discloses the communication if guilty of a felony and can be imprisoned for no more than five years, under Rhode Island law. R.I. Gen Laws § 11-35-21. The statute provides for civil liability of actual damages of one hundred dollars ($100) per day for each day of violation or one thousand dollars ($1,000), whichever is higher, punitive damages, and reasonable attorney fees and other litigation expenses. R.I. Gen Laws § 12-5.1-13. |
