MorphoTrust USA, Tennesse Department of Safety and Homeland Security automate drivers license renewal

MorphoTrust USA, along with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, recently unveiled self-service drivers license kiosks across the state, which leverage facial recognition to verify cardholders.

The kiosks have been installed at approximately 40 locations and promise to reduce the notoriously long wait times associated with drivers license renewal.

Kiosk users simply swipe their old license, ID or enter identifying information and in minutes the kiosk takes a photo and prints a receipt that serves as a temporary license of ID until the permanent one arrives in the mail. Kiosks are networked with state driver license records and are equipped with image verification software that compares the person posing for the new photo with the previous license photo to prevent identity theft. Payment also takes place on the spot, as these kiosks accept both debit and credit cards.

“Tennessee is joining a growing number of states, including Delaware, Mississippi, Indiana, and Alabama that are bringing self-service solutions to enhance service to their customers,” Bob Eckel, CEO of MorphoTrust said. “In addition to the customer-service improvements, MorphoTrust’s newest technology reduces labor and provides Tennessee with the utmost security for renewing or replacing driver licenses and ID cards.”

This new partnership between MorphoTrust USA and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security comes just days after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and MorphoTrak announced a partnership, which will see the TBI use the Morpho Biometric Identification Solution for fingerprint identification.

Biometrics are slowly but surely making their way into Americans’ every day lives, as a recent interview with American Senators John McCain and Chuck Schumer hinted that a biometric social security card could soon be a reality leading to a robust discussion around the benefits or pitfalls of a biometric ID card in the United States.

A recent editorial by BiometricUpdate’s Rawlson King suggests the U.S should adopt biometric IDs for Social Security.

The federal government, through its REAL ID Act, has attempted to implement standards for state-issued drivers licenses, but has run into many problems, including the assignment of costs. As a consequence only 13 states have complied, including Tennessee.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID cards  |  driver's license  |  facial recognition  |  government purchasing  |  verification