California Is Testing Digital Driver's Licenses, Should You Be Worried?

California is looking at using digital ID's and mobile drivers licenses. In 2021 the state authorized the DMV to do a trial run of mobile drivers licenses and IDs, and allocated one year for the department to establish a timeline to rollout the project as well as an estimated cost.

Louisiana, Colorado and Arizona already have mobile licenses, and Utah is testing out a version of the ID. They use the biometric capabilities of your smartphone to link to your mobile driver’s license or ID.

The LA Times says in California, only volunteers will be included in the initial trial, which is limited to 135,000 people, half a percent of the drivers in the State.

Critics say a poorly designed system would threaten privacy, and are concerned that governments and companies could find a way to track your activities and get details of your personal life. They also point out that not everyone has a mobile device, which means physical IDs would still be necessary.

Jeremy Grand of the Better Identity Coalition says that a properly designed system won't be able to collect any data about your activities. Each license would utilize the state's encrypted digital signature and when someone tries to verify that the information on your ID is correct, they would simply get a yes/no answer - no additional information would be shared about you.

The LA Times says the State Department of Motor Vehicles is planning to test a version for smartphones but have yet to settle on a vendor or set a launch date. Some are estimating that with the current pace of the project, it would be 10 to 15 years before digital licenses are commonly used.


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