Currently, information collected in a notary transaction, which is a written process, is maintained by the notary but not shared or put on the internet and sold. AB 199 states that an online notary public shall keep an electronic journal and record each online notarial act performed by the online notary public, including: ID information, signature, location and the character of every document notarized. The signer must also upload a copy of every document being notarized. This bill does nothing to protect signers data. In its current form, this bill will allow the sharing or sale of information that has never before existed within the notary process. This bill also does not address the length of time transactional data must be stored. Without closing these doors, they’re virtually wide open.
It’s not enough that Big Tech knows who you are, where you live, where you work, the stores you shop in and what you eat, now they want your digitally notarized signature and most importantly, they want to take a peek into your most personal legal affairs. Don’t be fooled, this is just another big data play by Big Tech.