On Dec. 22, 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 1780C authorizing remote online notarization in New York. While the enactment of this legislation provides greater access to notarial services, there are significant data privacy questions which must be addressed as we navigate the electronic notarization process, including concerns over the long-term data retention process and security of video conferencing software.

Overview of Notarization in New York. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice of law continues to evolve in many ways, one of which is the growing use of remote technology, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other audio and video conferencing services. So, it is not surprising that New York Governor Hochul recently signed Senate Bill 1780C, which authorizes remote notarization of documents using audio and video conference technology in New York. See Holland & Knight, New York Remote Online Notarization Bill Signed Into Law, JD Supra (Dec. 24, 2021).