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Online notarization services have emerged as a convenient way to deal with legal and official documents. These services have also brought the prospect of serving as deterrents for online or internet-based violations. Nonetheless, the new notary system is also in great need of supervision.
A case for the need for better online notarization systems is that of a pregnant mother in Jiangsu province. She has been bullied and intimidated by an owner of an online shop because she gave a negative rating to the store. The negative rating was justified by the fact that she received inferior products that significantly deviate from what is being advertised online.
The expectant mother, surnamed Yang, filed formal complaints against the dubious trading practices of the online shop, but the evidence is not admissible. The trading records and the threatening words of the owner cannot be used in court because of the fact that digital files can easily be altered.
The case of Yang is not unique, and similar cases are increasing every year as a result of the popularity of online transactions. The widespread use of the internet has resulted in online shopping scams, online bullying and slander, infringement of intellectual property rights, and other shady practices.
A great stumbling block that limits legal proceedings against online crimes is the lack of valid and dependable forensic methods that are accessible to ordinary people. The rise of third-party online notary services can provide a solution to this problem. Online notary basically validates a digital document or evidence.
As Professor Feng Xiaoqing points out, the traditional notary services make it necessary for applicants to present evidence at a real notarial office. This takes time and expenses in traveling. Feng is a professor of intellectual property rights at the China Institute of Political Science and Law. The online notary services encrypt original files and make them unalterable by ordinary means. As a result, any alteration can easily be detected.
