Audio and Video Quality

PURPOSE: This rule sets out the requirements for audio/video quality used by electronic notaries in Missouri. (1) A reliable Remote Online Notarization (RON) operating model should consist of continuous, synchronous audio and video feeds with good clarity such that all participants can be clearly seen and understood at all times during the notarial act. (2) Inherent in online audio/video technology is the presence of temporary surges or spikes in quantitative measures like bitrate and/or frequency of communications and no simple technical limits are practical or prudent. Rather, a sounder approach to ensuring reliable real-time communications is to rely on the judgment of the notary to determine the adequacy of the communications and provide direction to terminate the session if those conditions are not met. (3) The audio/video recording must include the person-to-person interaction required as part of the Notarial Act as defined by the state, must be logically associated to the electronic Audit Trail, and must be capable of being viewed and heard using broadly available audio/video players. (4) Video capture of documents or credentials that contain non-public personal information during the RON is not required as part of these standards. AUTHORITY: section 486.1110, RSMo Supp. 2020.* Emergency rule filed Aug. 31, 2020, effective Sept. 15, 2020, expired March 13, 2021. Original rule filed Aug. 31, 2020, effective Feb. 28, 2021. *Original authority: 486.1110, RSMo 2020.