18 NCAC 07F .0102          DEFINITIONS

For purposes of Article 2 of Chapter 10B of the General Statutes and this Subchapter:

(1)           "Approved vendor for electronic notarizations," "approved electronic notary solution provider," or "AVEN" means a person approved by the Department to provide an electronic notarization system pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 10B of the General Statutes.

(2)           "Biometric authentication" means proving the identity of a user by requiring verification of the user's identity through technologies that require measurement and analysis of one or more human physiological or behavioral characteristics of the user in order to access and use an electronic notarization system. Note: Biometric authentication technologies include fingerprint scanning devices, retinal scanning devices, and handwriting analysis devices.

(3)           "Electronic notarization system" means a set of applications, programs, hardware, software, or technology approved by the Department that is designed to enable a notary to perform electronic or remote electronic notarizations.

(4)           "Electronic notary applicant" means a commissioned North Carolina notary public who applies to be registered or reregistered as an electronic notary public.

(5)           "Electronic notary's electronic signature" means:

(a)           an electronic image of the handwritten signature of the electronic notary public in the name of the notary as it appears on the notary's commission; and

(b)           the AVEN's or other technology provider's security features attached to the signature in Sub-Item (5)(a) of this Rule.

(6)           "Independently verifiable" means capable of government or third-party authentication of a notarial act, an electronic notary's identity and current status with the Department.

(7)           "In the presence of the electronic notary at the time of notarization" means that an individual and an electronic notary public are in close physical proximity to one another without using technology to establish personal appearance.

(8)           "Password authentication" means requiring the user to enter a secret word, phrase, or symbol set in order to access and use an electronic notarization system.

(9)           "Token authentication" means requiring use of a physical device in addition to a password or personal identification number ("PIN" number) in order to access and use an electronic notarization system. Note: Physical devices used in token authentication technologies include magnetic cards or "smart cards" and Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory sticks or "USB keys."

History Note:        Authority G.S. 10B-4; 10B-106; 10B-125(b); 10B-126; 10B-134.15; 10B-134.17; 10B-134.21;

Eff. January 1, 2007;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. December 6, 2016;

Transferred from 18 NCAC 07C .0102 Eff. June 1, 2023;

Amended Eff. July 1, 2024.