2023-09-06 11:36:41
In the United States, there is no national identity card, the driver’s license is most often used as an identity document. California launched a pilot program in 2023 for a dematerialized version to keep on your phone.
The dematerialized driver’s license makes its debut in California: the mDL, for “mobile Driver’s License”. The pilot program involved a few thousand people. California will accelerate the movement by opening it to 1.5 million volunteers. Just download a dedicated application that works on Apple and Android operators, then create an account on the portal of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV, the name of the office in charge of driver’s licenses in the United States), scan your license and take a photo of yourself to prove your identity.
This digital permit cannot yet be used everywhere. The police, government agencies do not recognize it, so you have to keep your traditional permit on you as a backup. But the digital version can already be used to pass through security at partner airports – there are around 30 across the country, including LAX in Los Angeles and San Francisco airport.
>> Driving license: the dematerialized version soon available on the France Identity application, indicates the National Agency for Secure Titles
Proof of the holder’s age and usefulness in case of theft
For the Washington Post, in the future, there will no longer be a need to show the bouncer at a nightclub their license with their address or other personal information that they don’t need to know if the person is of legal age ‘enter. The machine will just confirm to him that the individual is over 21, without necessarily specifying his date of birth. In businesses that are part of the program, it can also be used to validate the age of the holder, to buy alcohol, for example, from 21 years old, in California.
The authorities also see it as an interest in terms of security. In the event that someone steals a phone, the victim can notify the DMV which will automatically revoke the license. Whereas someone who steals a wallet can still use the documents. But the question inevitably arises of the tracing of personal data and movements by the authorities. California promises that this data is not exploited.
California is not the only one working on this track, it even lags behind other states. But Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom promised the California version would be the best. Utah, Colorado and Arizona have already implemented a digital but not final version. Ultimately, the technology should improve security, better protect personal data and simply make life easier, says one of the leaders of the program in Arizona.
An important step is for businesses and institutions to invest in equipment capable of reading these digital documents. In Louisiana, digital identification also allows you to store your vaccination card as well as your gun, hunting and fishing licenses. More than a million and a half people have already downloaded the application, knowing that the state has four and a half million inhabitants.
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