Re: Is all this necessary?
Two problems with your "illegal" hypothesis.
1. Many states have a "one-party" rule regarding recording private conversations. Meaning if one party consents to recording, then it's legal. If one party is the recording party, then that consent can be implied. Obviously, the equipment manufacturers are consenting to the recording, so...
2. They can also construe that, by buying the device and consenting to its use, you also give your consent to have it record you. And any kind of explicit consent regulation won't work here as they'll just use the consent screen as a barrier, and you know how frustrated people can be when they have to click OK again and again: to the point of "Just get it the hell over with already!" With such a mindset, the war's already lost.
