Iowa test drives mobile licenses
11 May, 2015
category: Digital ID, Government, Library
Privacy and security
The opportunities that come with a digital ID – the addition of biometrics and other security features supported by smartphones – could be an attractive option for providers.
“I think it’s a very smart move,” says Alan Goode, managing director of Goode Intelligence, a London-based research and consulting firm. “I think if you compare it to what we have at the moment – paper documents and printed cards – there’s a bit of a situation. We’ve got a lot of fraud. It’s relatively easy to (create) a fake ID.”
The pilot may help answer questions about what happens when users lose their phone – and subsequently their ID – and how much police are allowed to see if they’re handed the phone with the digital license.
“People lose their licenses, they forget to bring their licenses. So the concept that somehow I didn’t have my phone or the battery was out hasn’t really changed the way that we would deal with that,” Lowe says.
“The other side of the coin is I’ve given it to an officer to look at and I’m worried about him looking at other things in my phone. We think the answer is just part of the design of the app.” He suggests that they are not going to allow the handset to push other messages or information, such as incoming text messages, while the license screen is active. Additionally, the license screen can only be exited after the owner of the phone again unlocks the app.
By the time the app is publicly available, Openshaw expects it to have multiple security features to ensure that only the authorized user will be able to assert the digital identity.
“We’re going to make sure that we have either the same or greater privacy protection on a digital driver license as we have put into the programs for the physical license,” she says. “I think many of those policies are going to have to come from our partners at the DMV with regard to what law enforcement can and can’t do with the digital license.”
Other technological uses
Planners envision all sorts of uses for the technology, like push notifications involving emergency alerts or driving records. It could also be a means of initiating various government services. “That’s the beauty of the mobile,” says Phil Sealy, senior analyst at ABI Research, a technology market intelligence company. “You could provide added value on top of the driving license app to encourage use and also to make it convenient and provide extra services.”
Sealy thinks a digital license is a good way to reduce the cost of issuance, improve security, and verify identity. He says the trend toward smart ID cards in Canada, Japan, India and Europe shows that the broader move toward digital isn’t far off.
“The app is making use of this whole sort of bring-your-own-device scenario,” Sealy says. “People are on the move and they need access to these services 24/7, and a mobile device allows you to do that.”
Goode sees the Iowa pilot being the first of many and not just in the States. “Some European countries are investigating this,” says Goode. “I think with India’s national ID program, there is an opportunity there. Once you get a proliferation of smartphones within a community, within a region, then that kind of supports it.”
The Iowa pilot involves figuring out the best way to get credentials onto the smartphone. Then, planners will explore ways relying parties could utilize the app. Goode describes a potential use in establishing a new bank account or mobile phone service. “This could be the kind of the digital ID that speeds up the process, so we don’t have to present ourselves at a branch or a mobile shop to sign up for services.”
Iowa is eyeing a public launch of the app in 2016. Lowe sees this step toward digital identity as a natural evolution. “I think we’re just being responsive to the things that we’re using and seeing and asking ourselves, ‘why not?’”