Digital driver’s licenses being introduced in Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey

In partnership with Punjab Information Technology Board, Pakistan is introducing a digital driving license system for Punjab citizens to optimize the driving license application process, writes The International News.

From now on, driver’s licenses will be issued on identity cards through a digital platform, to replace traditional paperwork and long queues. Citizens will submit their national identity card and bank challan to the digital driving license system to be issued a license. Before introducing the new system, it took months to apply for a driver’s license.

South Korea

South Korea has introduced digital driver’s licenses on its identity authentication app PASS, which has been adopted by over 30 million people to make mobile transactions, Future IoT says.

PASS was introduced in 2018 and developed by SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus. The mobile carriers partnered with the Korean National Police Agency and the Road Traffic Authority to develop the digital license system.

The digital driver’s license is now accepted as official identification across South Korea. Effective July 2020, it will be used to issue, reissue and renew licenses at 27 test drive centers.

“The Korean National Police Agency will make concerted efforts with the three Korean mobile carriers to boost the usage of the digital driver’s license service, which can help address social problems caused by theft or illegal use of driver’s license,” said Min Gap-ryong, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, in a prepared statement.

The police are considering applying the service to police work such as traffic tasks, while mobile carriers are negotiating with car rental and shared mobility companies to implement it for non-face-to-face services. The license can be used to make purchases at CU and GS25 convenience store chains.

When they register the driver’s license on the app, users will go through a verification and data encryption process. Information authenticity is ensured and fraud attempts are blocked through blockchain technology and by connecting the ID authentication servers to the police license system. To verify user identity, the app will display the user’s photo or driver’s license with a QR code and barcode. The codes are refreshed and have an animation layer.

“We are delighted to launch the digital driver’s license service, which will provide users with greater security and convenience,” said Oh Se-hyeon, vice president and head of blockchain/authentication office at SK Telecom, in a prepared statement. “Going forward, we will work closely with diverse institutions and enterprises to promote its use in non-face-to-face services, which have surged since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Turkey

Turkey’s 2017-issued electronic IDs will replace driver’s licenses and debit cards, according to an announcement by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu covered by Daily Sabah.

“You won’t have to carry a separate driver’s license soon. All information on licenses will be installed in the IDs. So, police or gendarme can check your driver’s license by checking chips on your ID. The new IDs will also have new features, like social security information and e-signatures (used in e-governance applications),” Soylu said in a televised interview.

Advanced security features will prevent forgery and a data storage chip will provide biometric fingerprint information and collect use data. The new eIDs could also be used as passports to travel, if a visa is not necessary, and are valid for 10 years.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  driver's license  |  eID  |  identity document  |  mobile device  |  Pakistan  |  smartphones  |  South Korea  |  Turkey