Here in the United States, we’re
quickly hurdling towards a future where all you need to carry with you
is a smartphone. No cash, no credit cards, and now no driver’s license
needed. The state of Iowa will soon be releasing a dedicated apps that will effectively serve
as a complete replacement for the traditional plastic driver’s license,
and other states will likely follow suit. Both police and airport
security will accept this new digital license, so feel free to leave
your wallet or purse at home.
Starting next year, this digital driver’s license will be an option for all Iowa drivers.
It’s currently unclear as to which platforms will be supported, but
it’s a safe bet that iOS and Android will be the priority. Will Windows
Phone and Blackberry users be left out in the cold? That still remains
to be seen, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get snubbed. Of
course, Iowa will continue to issue old-fashioned plastic licenses, so
even those of us without smartphones will still be able to properly
identify ourselves.
Earlier this year, Apple introduced the Apple Pay system that enables secure payment transactions using only your iPhone and your fingerprint. It uses the built-in Touch ID fingerprint sensor to confirm your identity, and effectively shields your raw credit card
from merchants. Considering how often major security breaches
happen these days, it’s clear that additional safeguards are
desperately needed. Those same concepts could easily be applied to your
digital ID card, but that doesn’t seem to be happening just yet.
Iowa’s
DOT Director Paul Trombino claims that this “identity vault app” will
be secure, but then proceeds to brag about the use of PINs. If we really
want to up the ante on security, we need to be thinking much bigger
than a JPEG of your driver’s license behind a 4-digit password. Why not
partner with Apple and Google to use the biometric data stored on your
phone? You could easily verify your identity without ever needing to
hand over your fingerprints to the state. It seems like a no-brainer to
me, but maybe in the current political climate, that would be perceived as a bit too invasive.
As
it stands, this initiative is mostly focused on the convenience factor,
but it could be so much more than that. Moving away from simple plastic
cards opens up many opportunities to increase security and privacy,
but it can also be abused by the powers that be if we’re not careful.
These digital driver’s licenses in Iowa are a small step forward, but it
leaves me hopeful for the future of digital IDs.
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