6.3 RON Identity Verification

Why RON Needs Extra Identity Proofing

In paper notarization the notary inspects a physical ID held in the signer's hand. In RON the notary never touches the ID, so Oregon requires a multi-factor identity process built into the platform. The verification stack has three layers, and all must succeed:

Credential Analysis in Detail

The signer uploads a high-quality image of a government-issued photo ID, and the platform runs an automated credential analysis:

• Checks security features — microprint, holograms, UV elements, document fonts
• Detects alteration or forgery — mismatched layers, edited fields
• Extracts the data — name, date of birth, expiration, document number
• Often performs facial matching of the ID photo to the live video frame

Worked example: A signer uploads a driver's license whose photo layer shows compression artifacts inconsistent with the rest of the card. Credential analysis flags it, the platform returns a fail, and the notary stops — there is no "override because the person seems honest" option in RON.

Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA)

KBA generates a quiz from third-party databases — credit files, public records, property and loan history — so the questions test facts only the real individual should know. Critically, the signer does not write these questions and cannot see them in advance.

Sample question style: "On which of these streets have you previously lived?" or "Which lender financed a vehicle for you in 2019?" The wrong-answer choices are plausible decoys pulled from the same data pool.

The Live Audio-Video Session

Technology does not replace the notary's judgment. During the live link the notary must:

1. See the signer's face clearly and continuously — not a frozen or pre-recorded image.
2. Hear and speak with the signer in real time, two-way.
3. Compare the live face to the credential-analysis ID photo for obvious discrepancies.
4. Confirm willingness — ask whether the signer is acting freely, without coercion.
5. Confirm understanding — verify the signer knows what document is being signed.
6. Watch the electronic signature being applied during the session.

The video must be live and the connection continuous; a dropped link means the appearance requirement is broken until it is restored.

When Identity Cannot Be Verified

A failed signer is not stranded forever — they may pursue traditional in-person notarization or resolve the underlying data problem — but the RON path is closed for that session.

Acceptable Identification

The same categories of identification used for paper acts apply to RON, presented through the platform:

• Oregon (or other state) driver's license or state ID card
• U.S. passport or passport card
• Foreign passport from a recognized country
• Military ID and federally or tribally issued photo IDs

The ID must be current (unexpired) and government-issued with a photo and signature; the platform's credential analysis enforces these characteristics.

Common Traps

• Thinking the signer chooses or sees KBA questions — they come from third-party data.
• Believing a "pass" lets the notary skip the visual face-to-ID comparison — the notary's own check still applies.
• Assuming a near-miss on KBA can be waved through — falling short of the threshold blocks RON.
• Forgetting that a poor or interrupted video itself defeats the personal-appearance requirement.

How the Three Factors Reinforce Each Other

No single factor is trusted alone, and the exam likes to test that point. Credential analysis proves the document is genuine; KBA proves the person matches the identity in third-party records; the live video lets the notary confirm the person on screen is the one holding the credential. Defeating identity proofing would require simultaneously forging an ID that survives automated analysis, knowing a stranger's credit and address history well enough to pass KBA under a timer, and resembling the ID photo on camera — which is why the layered design is far stronger than any one check.

Worked example: A signer passes credential analysis and KBA, but on the live video the face plainly does not match the ID photo and the signer cannot explain the difference. Two automated factors "passed," yet the notary's own visual comparison fails — and the notary must stop. The human judgment layer is not optional.

On the Exam

• Multi-factor: Credential analysis + KBA + live audio-video, all required.
• KBA: ~5 questions from third-party data, short timer, high pass bar; not signer-created.
• Notary role survives technology: compare face to ID, confirm willingness and understanding.
• Failure: Any failed factor means the RON act cannot proceed.