I have never asked a customer if their house has listening devices. Now with the advent of cameras and other audio listening devices, every thing we say, speak and ( pretty soon, every thing we think) would all be recorded to be used for what ever purposes.
I stopped going to a friends house just becoz of that reason. It just creeps me out that someone / something is listening and analyzing data/speech.
I see no reason to refuse notary work in someone’s home because they have Alexa or Google. If you were to make that a criteria you’d lose a lot of work since many have such devices in their homes. I have Google in my home and feel it’s doing nothing I am uncomfortable with. There’s nothing we say or ask that couldn’t be said or asked in public, we don’t ask for confidential information, we only notarize signatures or verify if someone is being truthful via an oath or affirmation.
I said a friends house. ( not customer)
What are the laws in your state about that? Just asking out of curiosity…is your state a two party state (where both parties need to be aware of the recording) or a one party state (where only one party needs to be aware, hence no permission needed). Just curious about this.
I am in one party state. Those laws even in one party consent state pertain to person - person(s) conversation and created in time of past to aid in obtaining proof in support of persecution of crimes of those times & while wearing a wire or while carrying a recording device, to fight crime / mafia etc.
Two party consent is required when recording over state lines.
Alexa and Google and other devices continuously record, transmit & store information across state lines and perhaps even across continents , depending on where the record resides and gets moved around?
Could tech companies put in a command akin to we saying to children “Go to your room and shut the door”
Alexa/ Google: “Stop listening and go to sleep”
Alexa/ Google: “Wake up and start working” … Turn of light etc…
However jerrypb is right, a notary is a public official performing the act of identity verification and compelling the truth. Nothing more/ nothing less, but innocuous conversations during a closing ??
To go further down the rabbit hole, your smartphones’ apps typically ask permission to use your location, your recording functions, your contacts, etc before downloading. You’re essentially already giving Google, Apple and the like access to listen/observe what you do, what you say.
