James A. Donald wrote:
Not true. Because they are notarizing a signature, not a document, they check my supporting identification, but never read the document being signed.
William Allen Simpson wrote:
This will be my last posting. You have refused several requests to stick to the original topic at hand. Apparently, you have no actual experience with the legal system, or are from such a different legal jurisdiction that your scenario is somehow related to MD5 hashes of software and code distribution. Because human beings often try to skirt the rules, there's a long history of detailed notarization requirements. How it works here: (1) You prepare the document(s). They are in the form prescribed by law -- for example, Michigan Court Rule (MCR 2.114) "SIGNATURES OF ATTORNEYS AND PARTIES; VERIFICATION; EFFECT; SANCTIONS" (2) The clerk checks for the prescribed form and content. (3) You sign and date the document(s) before the notary (using a pen supplied by the notary, no disappearing ink allowed). (4) The notary signs and dates their record of your signature, optionally impressing the document(s) with an embossing stamp (making it physically difficult to erase). You have now attested to the content of the documents, and the notary has attested to your signature (not the veracity of the documents). Note that we get both integrity and non-repudiation.... The only acceptable computer parallel would require you to bring the documents to the notary, using a digital format supplied by the notary,
You mean *specified* by the notary - which would presumably be PDF or RTF.
generate the digital signature on the notary's equipment, and then the notary indempotently certify your signature (on the same equipment).
And if the format is PDF or RDF, none of this will prevent the problem with MD5 - the problem being that a notarization of one document will also notarize as many other of my documents as I please.
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