California tests, Iowa launches digital IDs, while Michigan considers legislation

California, Michigan, and Iowa are all taking steps to implement digital IDs. California is testing, Iowa is launching, and Michigan is considering legislation related to mobile driver’s licenses.  These states are planning to join Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Hawaii, Ohio, Utah, and Maryland in offering mDLs.

“New digital driver’s licenses will allow residents to virtually perform services that otherwise would have required an in-person trip to the DMV,” says Ajay Amlani, President and head of Americas, iProov in a comment emailed to Biometric Update.

Michigan is proposing a bill that would allow the Secretary of State to issue digital IDs in addition to their traditional physical counterparts, according to a local outlet. If passed, mDLs would become official IDs, equivalent to physical licenses. They would be valid for state government services, banking, police stops, and ID checks for age.

Some raise concerns about whether an ID can be accessed on a lost or stolen phone. Others raise concerns that deepfakes and other cyberattacks can circumvent biometric authentication.

“Given the ease and accessibility of generative AI tools that can create fake images, it’s irresponsible for government or business entities to implement any system utilizing remote-based biometrics without the necessary protections against AI-created deepfakes digitally injected into vulnerable camera feeds,” says Amlani.

California’s DMV is testing a mobile app that allows residents to upload mDLs to their phones with iProov’s biometrics and liveness detection.

“Now, California residents will soon discover a mobile driver’s license is not only a more secure way to verify one’s identity without having to divulge significant amounts of personal information, but also a much more convenient option,” says Amlani.

“To combat the combination of deepfakes and digital injection attacks, organizations need a science-based, multifaceted approach like the California DMV is employing that leverages the creation of a one-time biometric.”

The program currently has over 2,000 active participants and is set to expand over the next few weeks before a public roll out, according to NBC Los Angeles. Participating California residents are still urged to carry their physical IDs, as mDLs are not universally accepted yet.

The TSA is now accepting mDLs at 29 airports in America, including several in California.

Iowa has also launched its mobile ID app developed by Idemia on the Apple App store and Google Play, The digital ID is “a companion to the physical card and does not replace it,” according to Toni Smith, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The app asks a user to upload the front and back of their state-issued ID along with a “moving selfie” to verify the identity of the user uploading the license with face biometrics.

Article Topics

California  |  digital ID  |  IDEMIA  |  Iowa  |  iProov  |  mDL  |  Michigan  |  selfie biometrics