mDL and digital ID applications proposed in Illinois and Czech Republic

The Illinois administration and the Czech Government each express the desire to advance towards the deployment of mobile driving licenses (mDL) infrastructure this year. Also this week, mobile data capture solutions provider Socket Mobile announces it will hold an mDL-focussed webinar in February.

Illinois to deploy mDL to ‘adjust to the 21st century’

The news was reported by 23WIFR which spoke to Senator John Connor (D- Lockport), who recently wrote a proposal to amend the Illinois Vehicle Code to include mDLs.

In the document, Connor mentioned that several individuals have appeared in traffic court after being unable to show a driving license when pulled over by the police, which is a waste of both time and money.

To avoid this issue, the Senator plans to work with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office to deploy mDL technologies that will enable people to download an app and have their driver’s license on their phone. Such an app, according to Connor’s proposed legislation, should not cost more than $6.

The Senator also added he understands the proposal may not be approved by the end of the shortened session this spring but urged the Illinois administration to move the idea forward so that it may be considered in the near future.

A number of U.S. states have already deployed mDL technologies, including Mississippi , Utah, and Colorado.

A U.S. Treasury Department representative also said during the Road Ahead Cybersecurity Policy Forum hosted by the FIDO Alliance, Better Identity Coalition and ITRC that the federal government is considering supporting state mDL initiatives with a voluntary grant program.

Czech Government renews mDL and digital ID efforts

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that the government intends to bring “ID cards and driving licenses to mobile phones,” Prague Morning reports.

According to Fiala, the Czech administration is already working towards the development of digital ID mobile infrastructure that will be able to store both mDLs and ID cards, with plans to support additional documents in the future.

The technology will be reportedly available by 2023 and will be based on the eDokladovska mobile app developed by the State Printing Works of Securities (STC).

The sharing of information will be granular and controlled by users. From a technological standpoint, the app will use QR codes and Bluetooth transmission, and will also work offline.

“The security of data storage and the method of data exchange between the holder’s application and the verifier’s application is based on the globally recognized interoperable standard ISO 18013-5,” Fiala explained.

STC showcased a prototype of the eDokladovka app in April 2021, with plans of releasing the technology within one year from the approval of legislation for the use of digital documentation.

Socket Mobile announces mDL-focused webinar

Socket Mobile will hold a webinar on February 15th to discuss mDLs, the ISO 18013 standard, and the integration of their technology into retail POS apps.

The webinar will include sessions from speakers Dave Holmes (Chief Business Officer at Socket Mobile) and Alice Chan, an Advisor at UL, a global independent safety science company.

“At Socket, we believe strongly that states continuing to roll out mDL will have a big impact on the retail sector,” Holmes says.

“We want our application partners to know the latest developments in this space and how they can benefit from them.”

A live Q&A session will follow the speakers’ session to address questions attendees may have.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  Czech Republic  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  driver's license  |  identity document  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  mobile app  |  standards  |  UL  |  United States