The Decentralized Notary Public Office

Have you ever wondered how the traditional office setup is changing for legal professionals? In this episode, Eddie Montes Travis and Marylyn Lee Trotter explore the shift toward a more flexible way of working. We look at how technology allows officials to serve their communities without being tied to a single physical desk. • Remote Technology: The shift toward digital tools allows for identity verification and document signing from almost any location. • Operational Flexibility: Moving away from a central hub means professionals can reach more clients in remote or underserved areas. • Security Measures: New systems ensure that even without a physical storefront, the integrity and safety of every transaction remain the top priority. • Cost Efficiency: Reducing the need for expensive office space allows for better investment in better software and equipment for client services. This movement marks a major change in how professional services are delivered in the modern age. By embracing these tools, the industry becomes more accessible and efficient for everyone involved. If you found this information helpful, please subscribe and like the podcast.

Show Notes:
• Exploring the transition from physical offices to mobile and digital setups.
• How decentralized systems improve client access and reach.
• The importance of secure digital platforms in modern notarization.
• Strategies for balancing mobility with legal compliance.

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Your Sunday Notary Reading:
Notary Public Foundation: Essential Guide to Core Duties, Ethics, and Commissioning on Amazon

Your Monday Notary Reading:
Notary Operational Excellence: Mastering Certificates, Journals, Ink, and Copy Certification on Amazon

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Notary Fraud Shield: Real-World Tactics, Red Flags, and Refusal Strategies on Amazon

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The Mobile Notary Blueprint: Launching and Managing Your On-Demand Business on Amazon

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Notary Niche Navigator: Your Guide to Loan Signings, Apostilles, I-9s, and More on Amazon

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Notary Law & Liability: Understanding State Regulations, Insurance, and Avoiding UPL on Amazon

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The Future Notary: Mastering RON, eNotary, and Complex Scenarios on Amazon

Quick & Easy Solutions: How to Increase Mobile Notary Business for More Success & Profit: with 37 Professional Tips on Amazon 

Executive Producer Derrick Spruill
Writers Marylyn Lee Trotter and Eddie Montes Travis
Graphics & Illustrations by Eddie Montes Travis
Music by Thomas Bynum
This Show is Produced by Magnificent Workz
Business Solutions

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Know the notary laws and safeguard your notary business. Introducing the book Notary Law and Liability, Understanding State Regulations, Insurance, and Avoiding UPL by Derek Spruel. What you don't know can destroy the notary business you've been building. Get your copy of Notary Law and Liability by Derek Spruell from Amazon.com, Barnes Noble, Books of Million, Bookshop.org, Mobile Notary by Dereks Spruel.com, or download from Kindle today.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Right now, I mean, literally as we speak, a notary sitting in their car in a Texas parking lot is uh legally executing this complex property transfer for a signer located all the way in Tokyo. And they're doing it all from a tablet.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yeah, it's wild to think about the whole idea of the heavy wooden desk, the you know, brick and mortar storefront.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

The idea that our profession is just bound to a single local jurisdiction, that era is entirely over.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Oh, completely. The convergence of high-speed mobile connectivity, cloud-based management systems, and of course remote online notarization or Oron, it's just completely shattered that old model.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

It really has. Well, welcome to the show, everyone. This is notary knowledge. I am your host, Marilyn, and alongside me is our resident expert Eddie.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Great to be here. We're basically witnessing a total decoupling of the notarial profession from the traditional office. I mean, technology hasn't just changed how we execute documents, it's um it's created an entirely new class of professional, the full-time nomadic signing agent.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Aaron Powell Which is fascinating. And that mobile revolution, you know, the decentralized notary public office. That's exactly what we are focusing on today. But uh before we get into the actual architecture of this tech stack, a quick reminder to check out our prior episodes.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Yeah, definitely do that. We've been building this really comprehensive roadmap for the modern professional. And those earlier discussions kind of provide the essential foundation for the advanced systems we are covering today.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Right. And if you are finding value in this roadmap, take a moment right now to rate the show, subscribe on your preferred platform, and please share the podcast with your colleagues. The industry is evolving so rapidly, and staying informed is really the only way to remain competitive.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Absolutely. And we also highly encourage you to pick up the notary knowledge books by Derek Spruel.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

They are just indispensable tactical resources for anyone who's, you know, serious about mastering the operational and legal complexities we deal with on the road every single day.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Exactly. So thinking about this nomadic lifestyle, you cannot run a decentralized mobile office with just a pocket stamp and your favorite pen. Operating as a full-time nomadic signing agent means, well, packing enterprise level infrastructure right into the cabin of a vehicle.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah, it essentially has to function as a server room on wheels.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

A server room on wheels. I like that. So let's talk about the physical hardware because that's where everything starts, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Right. And for on-site document handling, bringing a standard, you know, consumer grade printer from a big box store into your vehicle, that's just a recipe for disaster.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Oh yeah. Those things will just melt down under the volume.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Literally.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

A professional really must invest in a commercial dual tray laser printer. These typically run um between$300 and$600. And that dual tray functionality is not some optional upgrade.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

No, it's mandatory.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

It is absolutely mandatory. Because standard loan packages often exceed 200 pages and they mix letter and legal sized documents all the time.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

And that mixed sizing is exactly where amateurs get tripped up, right? If you try to print a legal sized document on letter-sized paper, the printer just chops off the margins.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Yeah, and suddenly you've cut off the bottom of a deed of trust.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Which completely invalidates the legal document.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Exactly. And you cannot manually swap paper trays back and forth for a 200-page package while you're sitting in the driver's seat.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

No way.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

You need automatic trace switching to maintain the exact sequence and integrity of the package. And you know, the same industrial standard applies to getting those documents back to the title company or lender. High-speed scanners are vital.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

Right, because you can't be waiting around.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Right. We are talking about machines capable of pulling 30 plus pages per minute. They generally cost between 200 and 400 bucks. When you're sitting in a vehicle between appointments, you cannot afford to be bottlenecked by a scanner that takes 20 minutes to process a single file.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

And the mobility aspect really shines when we look at the tablet and wearable integrations. Like top-tier nomads are utilizing devices like the iPad Pro.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah, specifically the 10.5 inch or 11.0 inch models with the retina displays.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

Because they interface so flawlessly with digital loan closing platforms like Pavasso, but it's the Apple Watch that seems to be the real game changer out on the road.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Oh, wearable tech acts as a massive efficiency multiplier. Using an Apple Watch with cellular and Siri capabilities, I mean, that allows for instant new order alerts right on your wrist.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

Which is huge.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Yeah, you could accept highly lucrative assignments and make hands-free calls while actively navigating heavy traffic to the next location. It keeps you securely connected to the business flow without ever pulling your physical focus from the road.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

But okay, all of this enterprise hardware requires serious power and uninterrupted connectivity. A notary can't just, you know, pull into a fast food parking lot and hope to piggyback off their free Wi-Fi to execute a legal transaction.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Please don't do that. Relying on unsecure public Wi-Fi is a massive security vulnerability, and it's a direct violation of professional standards. You must use dedicated cellular hotspots.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Furthermore, to prevent dropped remote online notarization sessions.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Which will immediately ruin your algorithm ranking and reputation on the major platforms, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Right, exactly. So cellular signal boosters are required to ensure stability when you inevitably drive through dead zones. And from a pure power standpoint, running a laser printer, a scanner, multiple devices.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

That'll drain a vehicle's primary battery during a long shift so fast.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Oh, incredibly fast. Nomadic agents have to implement commercial car inverters and heavy-duty portable battery banks just to keep the systems running independently of the alternator.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Okay, wait. There's a major architectural conflict here though. Most of the title in escrow industry was built on, and let's be honest, still heavily relies on, legacy Windows-based software.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

So if you were out there utilizing the Mac hardware we just discussed, like an iPad Pro or a MacBook, how do you survive the compatibility issues when a title portal demands native Windows drivers to print that 200-page package?

SPEAKER_01 6:46

It's a very real hurdle for sure. But the workaround is well established among professionals. Mac users deploy virtualization software. Specifically, VMware Fusion for Mac, which runs about$79. This integrates a native Windows environment directly onto the Mac hardware.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Oh wow, so it just runs both.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Exactly. It allows the agent to run title-specific Windows applications, print seamlessly via Adobe, and crucially maintain full background support for those dual tray printers without any driver conflicts. It basically provides the hardware reliability of the Mac ecosystem with the necessary software compatibility of the Windows world.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

That is brilliant. Let's pause right there for a quick break. Insert commercial break queue here.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

And we are back. So having a massive dual tray printer is great, but physical hardware isn't the real liability out on the road. A listener, Omar from Michigan, sent us a message recently about having his work bag stolen right out of his car.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Ugh, that's a nightmare.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

It is a terrifying point, right? The real liability is the data. Let's talk about digital administration, strict compliance, and the massive software costs required to protect that data while moving at 60 miles per hour. Yeah, the overhead for a professional, legally compliant nomadic operation is significant. We are looking at a fixed tech subscription cost of roughly$680 a month.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Wow.$680?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Yeah. And that covers enterprise tier access to RN platforms, encrypted communication lines, and the hybrid booking systems required to securely route your daily schedule.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

And that brings up another listener question. Brian from North Carolina asked us about liability protection and why it costs so much. Errors and omissions insurance, or ENO, is a non-negotiable fixed cost trait.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Totally non-negotiable. For comprehensive coverage that actually satisfies the requirements of the major on-demand platforms, an agent is looking at an average of$850 a month.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Which is a huge chunk of change.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

That figure often shocks people entering the profession. But when you are processing high-volume transactions across multiple jurisdictions, that premium protects against catastrophic document processing mistakes.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Right, because the stakes are so high.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Exactly. If a missed signature delays a multi-million dollar commercial real estate closing and causes the buyer to lose their interest rate lock, the notary can be held financially liable for the difference.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Ouch.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah. That EO policy is just the cost of operating at the highest level of commerce.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

And alongside the financial protection, there is the regulatory compliance of record keeping. Digital journaling is basically the standard now. Look at Kansas law, for example, which requires a 10-year retention period for notarial journals.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Right. And storing 10 years of physical books is a massive liability for a nomad, especially thinking back to Omar's stolen bag.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Apps like Notary Act securely archive proof of physical presence and identity data in the cloud for just$3 a month. It ensures you hit those long-term retention mandates without, you know, carrying a whole library in your trunk.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Right. But let me bring up an email we got from Rachel in Colorado. She asked, since revenue projections can fluctuate for independent agents, why can't she just cut corners to save that$680 a month?

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Like why not just use a free Gmail account for client communication, utilize a free Google Drive for document storage, or, you know, just throw misprinted loan documents into a standard municipal dumpster.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Yeah, that mindset is incredibly dangerous. I mean, to quote industry veteran Mark Roy, security is never free. No free email, no free storage, no free lunch.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

I love that quote.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

It's so true. Utilizing free consumer grade tools fundamentally violates federal data protection laws. As a notary, you are handling highly sensitive, personally identifiable information, which falls under strict regulations. HIPO protects the medical records you might see in a health proxy. The Gram Leech Bliley Act, or GLBA, requires financial institutions and their third-party contractors, like notaries, to explain their information sharing practices and safeguard sensitive financial data. Exactly. In fact, it was designed specifically to prevent identity theft.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Because if you are using free email, the provider is scanning the contents of those emails to serve you targeted ads. That means a third-party algorithm is reading a signer's social security number and loan details.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Which is a catastrophic data breach just waiting to happen. And regarding the physical paper disposal, if you misprint a loan package or have leftover copies of a signer's passport, you cannot just throw that in a dumpster.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

No.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Strict compliance requires hiring professional mobile shredding services. They physically come to your vehicle, destroy the documents on site, and most importantly, they provide a verified certificate of destruction.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Right. That legal document proves you disposed of the data according to federal law.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yep. That audit trail is your only defense if a client later claims you were the source of their identity theft.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

It all comes back to the fact that you are running a highly regulated legal services entity, regardless of whether your office has a steering wheel, which really brings us to the payoff for all this overhead. The economics of interstate borders.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Oh, this is the best part. With the secure, compliant mobile headquarters established, the decentralized notary is no longer limited to the population of their local zip code. Technology has effectively erased traditional geographic borders.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

It really has.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

By leveraging Ron technology, an agent can complete three to four online sessions in the exact same amount of time it takes to drive through traffic to a single physical appointment.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

And when platforms like Notarized by Proof, one notary or Lotary Cam are paying roughly$25 per remote notarization, that volume completely changes the scalable income potential.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

But the geographic rules of Ron are highly specific, and misunderstanding them can literally cost you your commission.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Yeah, you have to be careful. The golden rule of Ron jurisdiction is this the notary must be physically located within the borders of their commissioning state at the exact moment the notarial act occurs. However, the signer can be located virtually anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

But there are critical exceptions and state level nuances, particularly regarding international signers, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Yes. Under the revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, or Rulona, which has been enacted in states like Washington, Pennsylvania, and Idaho, there is a specific restriction for international remote notarizations.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Okay, what is it?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

If the remotely located signer is outside the United States, the document being notarized must have a demonstrable nexus to the United States.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

Oh, I see. Meaning like a US citizen selling property in Florida while vacationing in Germany is perfectly fine.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

But two German citizens trying to use a U.S. notary for a Berlin property deal is prohibited.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Exactly. That fails the nexus test entirely. The transaction must involve a U.S. court, a U.S. government entity, or property located within a U.S. jurisdiction.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

We also have to highlight state-level technology limitations. Just because Ron is authorized doesn't mean it applies to every single document type universally.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Really? Like what?

SPEAKER_01 13:56

For instance, in New York, local technology laws explicitly prohibit the use of digital signatures on highly sensitive documents like wills, durable powers of attorney, and health proxies.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Ah, so those specific documents still require wet signatures and traditional physical presence in that jurisdiction to be valid.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Precisely. So as a nomadic agent, you have to know not just your own state's commissioning laws, but the limitations of the jurisdiction where the document will ultimately be recorded.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Which raises an interesting logistical question. If an agent is fully nomadic, like living in an RV or traveling full-time, how do they legally maintain a commissioning state to satisfy that physical presence requirement?

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Well, it requires formally establishing a legal domicile. Nomads utilize professional mail forwarding services to maintain a physical address. They ensure their vehicle registration matches that state, obtain a corresponding driver's license, and often file official affidavits of domicile with the state court.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

You really must maintain an undisputed legal residency to hold the commission.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Without a doubt.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

Here is a major point of friction with this borderless model, though. We're talking about signers beaming into your secure video feed from completely different states, often presenting complex legal documents governed by foreign jurisdictions. How does the notary avoid the trap of the unauthorized practice of law or UPL when a remote signer inevitably asks, hey, what does this clause mean? Or should I sign this?

SPEAKER_01 15:23

That's tough, but the boundary must remain absolute. You are an impartial witness, not a legal advisor. Your statutory authority is narrowly defined. To verify identity remotely, you rely on the platform's automated credential analysis and knowledge-based authentication, or KBA.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Right, KBA.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

And KBA doesn't just look at an ID card, it dynamically generates identity questions based on 30 years of obscure public records, like asking the signer to identify an address they lived at in 2008.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

The signer must correctly answer four out of five of those generated questions within a strict time limit. That robust technology verifies who the person is.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

But regarding the document itself, you cannot interpret contract terms, explain legal implications, or advise on whether a deal is favorable. If the signer is confused by the document, the session must be paused or terminated so they can contact their attorney or the document creator. Let's take one more quick break, insert commercial break cue here. Welcome back to the discussion. So, because the notary and the signer are no longer sitting in the same physical room, the underlying infrastructure proving the document's validity has had to evolve dramatically.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Oh, it really has.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

A listener named Chloe from Arizona recently asked us how a digital ID photo could possibly be secure enough for a high-level transaction. And the answer is the integration of decentralized Web3 technology into the notarial space.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Yeah, this is the absolute frontier of document authentication. We are seeing widespread adoption of decentralized identity or DID tools by nomadic agents and platforms.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

Makes sense. When you are verifying someone who isn't physically handing you a credential, you need enterprise grade verification.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Exactly. Tools like Stripe Identity can authenticate government ID documents from over 33 different countries by analyzing the microscopic security features of the credential right through the camera.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

That's insane. And it goes further with platforms like Microsoft Entra Verified ID and Polygon ID. These systems allow users to prove who they are, verifying their identity claims, without exposing their underlying personal information to centralized databases that could be breached.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

Which is a massive upgrade in data privacy.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

But really, the most profound technological shift is the use of blockchain for immutable record keeping.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Traditional electronic notarial journals are essentially standard databases that could theoretically be altered by a sophisticated hacker. Platforms utilizing blockchain like Acronus Cyber Notary Cloud fundamentally change the security paradigm through cryptographic hashing.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

So it's basically a digital wax seal.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Yes. There's a brilliant way to picture it. When the document is finalized, the system computes a unique mathematical fingerprint, the hash, and anchors it to a decentralized blockchain ledger. And if someone messes with it, if a bad actor attempts to alter even a single pixel or a single comma in that notarized document years later, the mathematical hash changes entirely. It immediately alerts any verifying party, like a judge, an auditor, a county clerk, that the document has been tampered with. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

But looking at all this, you know, AI scanning and analyzing the IDs, decentralized identity tools, multi-factor KBA verifying the history, and blockchain securing the final data. Right. Aren't we just automating the notary out of existence? Like if the software does all the verification and security, what is the point of the human being on the screen? This ties into an email from Amanda in South Carolina regarding safety and coercion.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

Amanda's point hits at the very core of our profession. Is there a really common fear that technology will replace us, but the reality is the exact opposite. The technology is not replacing the notary, it is empowering them by filtering out the noise. AI and automation are fantastic at detecting microscopic anomalies in a driver's license or handling the logistical friction of scheduling, but no AI can legally or ethically assess human intent.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Right. An algorithm can confirm the ID is real, but it cannot tell if the person holding it is being coerced by someone standing just off camera or if they are heavily medicated and lack the capacity to sign.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Exactly. The human notary remains absolutely essential to assess the signer's willingness and their mental competence to execute the record.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

The human element is irreplaceable.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

The technology handles the data verification, but the human provides the critical judgment and the impartial witness required by law. The tools make the decentralized office possible, but the commissioned officer makes the act legally binding.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

It is a fascinating balance of cutting-edge technology and ancient legal principles, and it leads us to a final provocative thought regarding where this is all headed.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Oh, this is a good one.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

We are already seeing the rapid rise of e-postles. If a digital document is executed via R, hashed immutably on the blockchain, and can be instantly verified globally via an electronic apostle QR code by any foreign government.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Are we approaching a near future where national borders completely dissolve when it comes to international legal agreements? It is something to seriously consider as you build out your digital infrastructure.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

The interoperability of global commerce is only accelerating. You have to ensure your tech stack is ready for it.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

You really do. Well, if you have questions regarding building your own nomadic tech stack, navigating the compliance frameworks we discussed today, or if you want your questions featured on the show like our listeners today, we want to hear from you. Email your questions to Derek at derekspruell.com. We will try to answer as soon as possible at the end of our shows.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Send them in. We love reading them.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Executive producer Derek Sprill, lead writer Marilyn Lee Trotter, Graphics Eddie Montez Travis, music Thomas Bynum, produced by Magnificent Works Business Solutions. Don't just be listeners of the knowledge, be doers of the knowledge. This is notary knowledge. Until next time.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

Introducing the Mobile Notary Blueprint by Derek Sprudel. Build you a thriving mobile business and protect yourself from costly mistakes with expert advice. Buy your copy of the Mobile Notary Blueprint by Derek Skrudel from any online bookstore. Amazon.com, Barnes and Mobile Bookstore, BookstofMillion.com, Bookshop.org, Mobile Notary by DerekScrudel.com, or download from Kindle and build your successful notary business today.

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