WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware is aiming to be the first state to offer virtual driver's licenses accessed through a secure smartphone app. Last week, the state’s legislature adopted a resolution directing the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles to study and consider implementation of digital licenses for motorists.
According to an article in USA Today, "We'd like to go first," said Jennifer Cohan, director of the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles and the governor's nominee for secretary of transportation. "If it works for Delaware, then it will be a new option for Delaware citizens to show proof of driver's license and identification."
Delaware and 41 other states, including Iowa, use the driver’s license vendor MorphoTrust USA, which began working on a concept two years ago for a mobile app to carry a digital version of driver's licenses. Iowa is also crafting a pilot program, followed by the app's rollout in 2016.
Even with the new digital license, the standard plastic licenses would not be eliminated. According to Delaware DMV officials, customers would have the option of having a digital version, in addition to the "hard copy" of their license. Beginning last year, the state began allowing motorists to show electronic proof of insurance during traffic stops. The new program is intended to be a convenience for DMV customers, not a revenue stream for the state.
The app would display information typically found on a state driver's license including birthdate, name, address, signature and a photo. It would require facial, fingerprint or voice recognition, in addition to a personal-identification code to ensure only the ID holder may gain access. Despite the potential convenience, legal and cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about privacy and data security, such as what information the apps will collect or be exchanged during transmission. The technology is also limited by the availability of cellphone service.
According to some experts, digital credentials have the potential to be more secure than a piece of plastic in your pocket, in part because it serves as a live link to one's digital identity, which is "re-verified" each time it's presented. According to the report in USA Today, the Delaware DMV is meeting with vendor MorphoTrust next month to discuss logistics, including questions about ensuring the secure transmission of personal data and other issues.