The state of Delaware has recently announced that it will begin
providing optional digital versions of driver’s licenses that can be presented
on a smartphone. Iowa announced a similar but experimental plan late last year;
both states have the same license provider, MorphoTrust, which also servers 40
other states and has stated that it is discussing digital licenses with many of
the other 40 states as well.
Digital driver’s licenses are an interesting idea, for many
it may seem a nice convenience because most people do not go anywhere without their
smartphone. A digital license may even mean that people would not need to carry
a wallet, so that they are carrying a smaller number of things and therefore
have fewer things to lose. As of right now the program is optional and will be
tried out alongside issuing physical licenses, but we have to think about the
possibility of one day only having a digital copy of our driver’s license.
This first issue that comes to my mind is security. The fact
that our driver’s license (our most common form of photo identification) will
be digital poses the question of how accessible it is. What do I need to do to
access my license? Is it connected to the internet? Is there some sort of
digital authentication I must go through to keep my driver’s license secure?
How safe is it from potential cyber-criminals? The article I read mentions that
they are considering multi-factor authentication but they provide no answers.
Another issue is that all our digital devices have a limited
battery life. “Sorry officer I can’t show you my license because my phone died,”
just doesn’t seem like it will go over well with law enforcement. Many people
have phone chargers in their cars, so this may not be a big issue; however, it
could happen anywhere that you may need photo ID and do not necessarily have
access to a power outlet.
How will digital licenses replace physical ones? Recently I
went to visit a friend’s college, the guest policy required that I leave my
license at the desk and pick it up on my way out. There isn’t really a way to
leave a digital license at a front desk or anything in a similar fashion. Most
people, me included, would not like to just leave their phone at a desk like
they would their license.
Finally, what about fakes? How easy will it be for someone
to produce a fake digital license? Will the real ones authenticate with a
server somewhere on the internet? How can someone be sure they are looking at a
real digital license instead of a fake or just a regular picture? There needs
to be some way to distinguish a real license from a fake that will end up being
hard to replicate.
A digital driver’s license could be a very interesting idea,
but for me they bring up more questions than solutions. I would not want to
participate in even a trial program until many of these questions are answered.
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