Something caught my eye in Msg #641016 by BrendaTx. In the context of RON, she wrote "If they have a VIP, I can see that person again and again so that they do not have to go through the ID process multiple times."
That makes me wonder, once RON and electronic notarization go into effect in my state, can I rely on personal knowledge to notarize for someone who I never met in person, but have had extensive audio-video interactions with?
The law in my state says
"§ 5365. Identification of individual
"(a) Personal knowledge. A notary public has personal knowledge of the identity of an individual appearing before the officer if the individual is personally known to the officer through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the individual has the identity claimed."
So lets say Jane Doe is a fellow Red Cross volunteer from Maine. She's in the online Red Cross directory, including her picture. I can see that she has passed a criminal background check, and I've been in virtual meetings with her and people I've met in person who have met her in person were calling her Jane Doe. I've participated in video calls with disaster victims with her, and know that she was able to dispense Red Cross funds to the victims. Is that "dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the individual has the identity claimed"? I'm leaning toward yes, this would be OK. |
