5.5 RON Audiovisual Recordings and Storage

RON Audiovisual Recordings and Storage

Remote Online Notarization (RON) lets a Montana notary perform acts for a remotely located signer using audiovisual communication technology. Because the signer is not physically present, the audiovisual recording is the central safeguard — it is the evidence that identity was verified and the act was performed properly. Montana's recording and retention rules live in MCA 1-5-618, the same statute that governs the journal, which is why RON recording retention matches journal retention.

Recording Requirements

What the Recording Must Capture

• The signer's appearance and the identity-verification steps (credential analysis and identity proofing as applicable)
• Administration of any oath or affirmation (required for a jurat)
• The signer applying the electronic signature to the record
• The notary completing the certificate and applying the electronic seal
• All verbal exchanges during the session

A classic exam trap: a notary keeps only a screenshot of the signer's ID instead of a full audiovisual recording. That is non-compliant — the whole session must be captured in audio and video.

Storage and Retention

The recording must be retrievable if a court orders it, an investigation by the Secretary of State requires it, or a dispute arises. Storing recordings only on a personal laptop with no backup is risky and may not meet the tamper-evident, retrievable standard.

Journal Entries for RON (Cross-Reference 5.2)

Every RON act adds three items to the standard journal entry:

1. A note that communication technology was used.
2. The name of the platform/provider (the RON system).
3. The storage location of the audiovisual recording.

Ending the Commission

When you stop acting as a notary, the recordings do not disappear with your commission. You must ensure they remain accessible for the full 10-year period, transfer them to appropriate or SOS-approved storage if needed, and keep the storage information so the recordings can be produced on lawful request. The retention clock runs from the act, so a recording made in the final week of your term may still need to be preserved for nearly a decade afterward.

Quick Compare: Journal vs. RON Recording

How a Compliant RON Session Flows

Understanding the sequence helps you answer scenario questions about what the recording must show.

1. The signer connects through the approved RON platform; recording starts before identity work begins.
2. The notary performs identity proofing (knowledge-based authentication or other approved method) and credential analysis of the government ID.
3. The notary confirms the signer is acting willingly and is aware of the document.
4. For a jurat, the notary administers the oath or affirmation on camera.
5. The signer applies the electronic signature; the notary completes the certificate and applies the electronic seal.
6. Recording continues to the end of the session, then is stored in tamper-evident form.

If any required step is missing from the recording — for example, the oath for a jurat is off camera — the recording fails to prove a complete act.

Storage Integrity in Practice

"Tamper-evident" means the storage system can show whether a file has been altered after the fact; a plain video file that anyone could re-edit without a trace does not qualify. Most notaries rely on the RON provider's hosted storage, which builds in integrity controls and retrievability, but the legal duty to preserve the recording rests on the notary regardless of who hosts it.

Producing Recordings and Privacy

You may have to produce a recording under a court order, a Secretary of State investigation, or a legal dispute, so it must remain retrievable for the full period. At the same time, the recording contains sensitive identity material, so guard access tightly and never share storage credentials. The discipline is the same as the journal: capture exactly what the law requires, protect it, retain it for 10 years, and make sure it survives the end of your commission. Master the parallel — journal and RON recording both run on a 10-year clock — and the retention questions on this part of the exam become straightforward.