Remote Online Notarization

Is Remote Online Notarization Causing More Problems Than It’s Solving?

Should states legalize remote online notarization? In today’s challenging climate of data security and internet fraud, some worry that we may be entering dangerous territory when it comes to the security and enforceability of documents notarized online. It’s a slippery slope surrounded by many questions and concerns. Is it possible that this ancient profession won’t be helped by technology?

Preserving the evidentiary value of documents

Notarized documents traditionally have robust evidentiary value. Rather than providing similar assurances of evidentiary reliability for remote online notarization, this technology leaves serious issues. Things like long-term data retention, liability, security, and data privacy are unaddressed.

Without tackling these crucial issues, remote online notarization may be endangering the integrity of document authentication and retention practices by prioritizing short-term convenience over proven in-person fraud prevention.

The purpose of the notarial system is not efficiency. Its purpose is to help ensure the validity of signatures used to document certain vital, life-altering transactions and events. These include real estate transactions, the granting of powers of attorney, and the creation of advance health care directives. These events and transactions occur in most people’s lives at least once. And lawsuits challenging the legality of these transactions regularly involve proof that a signature was, or was not, properly notarized.

In-person notarization is the only way to ensure that the person signing a document is physically present before the notary when they sign. This helps prevent situations where someone could sign a document without realizing what it says, or under duress. It also thwarts attempts to forge signatures.

woman sitting at her desk on a video call remote online notarization

Proceed with caution when changing notary laws

Changes in today’s notary laws will have significant implications for our civil justice system, and should be undertaken with caution and the utmost care. States must act cautiously to ensure and require that the evidentiary reliability of online notarization is at least equal to, if not better than, traditional in-person notarization.

Today’s notary laws are in need of an update to take into account the rise of online notarization. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct business and manage our personal affairs. However, it is important to ensure that the evidentiary reliability of online notarizations is at least equal to that of traditional in-person notarizations.

As states move to adopt online notarization, they should take care to put in place safeguards that protect the integrity of the notarial process. These safeguards could include requiringNotaries to use tamper-evident technology when creating digital signatures and recordings, and mandating that Notaries verify the identity of signers using video conferencing.

By taking these precautions, states can ensure that online notarization is a safe and secure way to conduct business, while also providing greater convenience and flexibility for consumers and businesses alike.

Threat of losing notarized documents

What happens to notarized documents if a company holding that data goes out of business without first securing or transferring its data. What if data were corrupted or lost?

Notarize, one of the leading platforms and supporter of RON, runs its remote online notary service on Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS provides robust backup services and is a popular option for many internet companies. But what would happen if Notarize ran out of money and was unable to pay its AWS bills?

  • Would the records of the notarizations disappear or be otherwise inaccessible?
  • What would litigants do if they needed records of one of these notarizations?
  • Likewise, what would happen if AWS were hacked and data were corrupted or stolen?
  • And what if other online notary services use systems that are less robust and simply abandoned their businesses?
writing down notes on a video call for remote online notarization

Our present system relies on thousands of private notaries to safeguard and maintain their journals. A single lost notary journal imperils the records of, at most, a few hundred transactions. How many records could be lost if one of these large companies failed? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? This could be extremely detrimental and costly for consumers and businesses worldwide.

Preserving the future of the notarial system

Ultimately, states should consider whether their present notarial system is, in fact, more safe and efficient than an online alternative. If a state does choose to allow online remote notarizations, I hope that the technology implemented is at least, if not more, robust and reliable as our current system – for decades to come.

By Matt Miller

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1 thought on “Remote Online Notarization”

  1. Hi Jane. Im very happy to have run across this article. Although you have made extremely valid points. Being a newly appointed Public Notary in TN, I honestly want to know(as it stands currently) what is my recourse against Covid and the convience it provides the client.

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