WoT Notarization faire

Now get 70 points in one visit! (see below)

Note!

Due to poor turnout, the faire is now by appointment only. Send me an e-mail and Mark and I will show up the next Saturday at 10AM.

The Thawte Web of Trust promises to be a wonderful way for the average Net Citizen to obtain an S/MIME certificate signed by a strong authority with real proof of identification built-in. Thawte invented the Web of Trust as a way to lower the barrier to obtaining a trusted identification while still maintaining security.

One of the ways that security is assured is that individual notaries can only assign a little more than half the points necessary to get a trusted identification. This means that one must be notarized (at least) twice in order to obtain trust. Since Notaries are all volunteers, it can be difficult to schedule appointments for notarization. Also, some notaries may not like the idea of strangers with photo IDs coming to their homes or work places.

This is where the idea of a Notarization faire comes in.

I will arrange to be at The Coffee Society in Cupertino, CA, Saturday morning at 10:00 AM, Pacific time. I will notarize anyone who fulfills the requirements below. I hope that other notaries will join me so that a true one-stop signing can become a reality. At the moment, of course, I have no assurance that this will take place, so the best you can do is be sure of 35 points, since I plan on showing up, at least. :-)

My requirements are as follows:

Please send me a note that you intend to come so I can know about how many people to expect.
Be there promptly at 10:00 AM. If no one is there when I show up, I probably won't stay long. :-)
If you used your Social Security number as the basis for your Thawte ID, I must see your Social Security Card.
If you used your Passport number as the basis for your Thawte ID, I must see your passport.
I must also see either an unexpired US Passport or an unexpired California Driver's License or Identification Card (temporary or out-of-state IDs will not do. It must have a photo, and the photo must look like you)
You must bring a legible photocopy of each of the above
I will supply a form you must fill out and sign in my presence.

If you do all of this, I will verify all of the details, retain the copies and the form and issue 35 points on the spot (via wireless IP connectivity).

If other notaries show up, they may have their own policies. I would suspect that their policies would dovetail reasonably with the above (but they will need their own photocopy for their records, so bring TWO copies of each ID to be safe). Hopefully a core of like-minded notaries will blossom out of this whole thing and we can make a group-wise policy, but until then I can only speak for myself.

Update! My friend Mark Bennett is now a notary, and he has decided to join me, so you now can get 70 points at one stop. His notarization policies are the same as mine, so be sure to bring at least two copies (more notaries are welcome, of course!).

By the way, there's nothing in the rules that says that existing notaries, like myself, cannot continue to gain points. So if you are a new notary and want to gain the experience necessary to increase the number of points you are allowed to give, come to the faire and notarize me if you wish. It won't do anything for me, but a notarization is a notarization and if you do it 5 times then you can give 15 points (15 points is useful, because 15+35=50).

The Coffee Society is located at 21265 Stevens Creek Boulevard near highway 85 in Cupertino, CA. I will have a laptop with a Thawte sign on it.

See you there!