Mobile driver’s licenses? Pandemic gives boost as more states move to digital IDs
Updated 10:44 AM;
Today 10:44 AM
Ryan Williams, with the Utah Drivers License Division, displays his cellphone with the pilot version of the state s mobile ID on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in West Valley City, Utah. In Utah, over 100 people have a pilot version of the state s mobile ID, and that number is expected to grow to 10,000 by year s end. Widespread production is expected to begin at the start of 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)AP
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By Sophia Eppolito | Associated Press/Report for America
The card that millions of people use to prove their identity to everyone from police officers to liquor store owners may soon be a thing of the past as a growing number of states develop digital driver’s licenses.
“Most people want some kind of a hard token for their identity, but I don’t know how long that will last,” said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum. “I would imagine that at some point, maybe in a generation, maybe less, that people will accept a fully digital system.”
In most states, people s data will be stored on their phone and with the DMV. People will only be able to access a mobile ID app with a passcode or using a smartphone’s fingerprint or facial recognition scan.
Industry leaders say safeguards will prevent anyone’s information from being stolen, but some critics argue that having so much personal data on a phone is too risky.