Digital Seals, Signatures, and Lifecycle Security

Steps

1. Define the electronic notary seal and electronic notary signature in the context of Florida RON. Understand that the electronic seal is the digital equivalent of your notary stamp and must contain the same information (name, commission, etc.), and that your electronic signature is a digital representation of your signature typically applied with your digital certificate credentials [27].
2. Understand tamper-evident technology: Florida law requires that when the notary’s electronic seal and signature are attached to the electronic notarial certificate, it must be done in a way that renders any subsequent change to the document evident [27]. Learn how this is achieved (usually through cryptographic hashing or digital signatures embedded in the document).
3. Emphasize the notary’s duty to guard their electronic seal and signature. They must have sole control of the devices, credentials, or passwords that allow use of their seal/signature [60]. Sharing a digital certificate or letting someone else use your electronic notary credentials is strictly prohibited.
4. Review the procedure if an electronic notary seal or certificate is compromised or lost. Florida requires notification within 7 days of discovering any unauthorized use or security breach involving the electronic journal, signature, or seal [71]. We will outline what steps to take in such an event (notify Department of State and law enforcement, and cease using the affected seal/ certificate).
5. Discuss the “lifecycle” of a notary’s electronic credentials: from obtaining a digital certificate at registration, using it for each notarization, renewing or updating it as needed (perhaps when your commission renews), to revoking it when your commission ends or if it’s compromised.
6. Highlight the provider’s role in security: note that Florida deems a RON provider’s use of proper technology as satisfying tamper-evident requirements [28], and requires RON providers to maintain their own high level of errors & omissions insurance ($250,000) to cover technology-related errors [104]. This underscores that platform security is a shared concern.