Key takeaway
You are on a phone or video meeting and you are scared it is being recorded. Anonymity is a tradition you can ask the chair about. Keep the camera off, use a first name, and log off if you do not trust the room. Do not guess.
Last updated: 2026-10-06
The call connected, and now you are staring at the screen like it might be keeping a copy. Your real name is one click away from a mistake. You do not have to guess whether a red dot exists. You can ask.
Anonymity is a tradition, and it is fair to ask how this particular meeting treats it. The Eleventh Tradition is about personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. The Twelfth says anonymity is the spiritual foundation of the traditions. Neither sentence is a technical promise about a phone bridge. Groups decide how they meet. Some online meetings have every video off. Others show faces. Ask the chair, in the chat or with your voice, whether this call is being recorded.
If the answer is yes and you hate that, log off. If the answer is muddy, log off. If you simply do not trust the room, log off. Leaving is a clean choice. You are not required to donate your story to a call you do not believe.
While you are deciding, keep the camera off. Use a first name if you speak. You can also not speak. Sitting and listening is enough. A blank square is still a person attending. You do not have to pan the camera across the kitchen to prove you came.
Meeting Guide lists online meetings as well as in-person ones. If this call felt wrong, there is another hour that is not this hour. Find A.A. points you toward local resources for lists. It does not store the recording question for you. The chair in front of you does, or they do not, and then you hang up.
If the fear is really about hurting yourself, call or text 988. NIDA says a mutual-help group is not treatment. For a treatment referral, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem?
- A.A.: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
- A.A.: Find A.A. Near You
- A.A.: Meeting Guide app
- A.A.: The Twelve Traditions
- NIDA: Treatment, including mutual-help groups
- NIAAA Core Resource: Alcohol Use Disorder
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- SmarterRecovery meetings search
- SmarterRecovery about page
Common Questions
Are these meetings recorded?
Do not assume they all are, and do not assume none are. Ask the chair in the chat or out loud. Groups decide how they meet. If you dislike the answer, or you get no answer, you can log off. Your distrust is a reason to leave, not a reason to confess your life to a call you do not trust.
What does anonymity actually cover?
The Eleventh Tradition is about personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. The Twelfth calls anonymity the spiritual foundation of the traditions. A phone call is a separate question. Ask it plainly. You can also use a first name, or no name, if you speak at all.
Can I keep the camera off?
Yes. Some online meetings already have every video off. You can turn yours off even if other faces are showing. Listening with a blank square is still attending. You do not have to prove you are a real person with your living room.
What if I already said more than I meant to?
Stop talking. You can mute and stay, or you can leave. You cannot unsend a sentence, and you also do not have to add a second one to tidy the first. If you want a different meeting, Meeting Guide lists online meetings you can try another hour.
I am scared in a way that is bigger than the recording.
Call or text 988 if you might hurt yourself. Log off if the call itself is the frightening object. You can find another online meeting and keep the camera off. You do not have to stay on a call you do not trust.