MyHawaii becomes cornerstone of statewide digital transformation

Hawaii’s launch of the myHawaii Digital Identity Platform marks a major milestone in the state’s digital transformation strategy. Developed by the Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) in partnership with Tyler Technologies, the platform is designed to provide residents with secure, unified access to government services across state and county levels.

At its core, the platform offers a single sign-on system that eliminates the need for residents to juggle multiple usernames and passwords across different government websites. The system is currently integrated with 96 applications spanning health services, licensing, business registration, and tax processing, with additional integrations planned.

The underlying architecture of myHawaii is designed to meet high standards for security and user authentication and includes multifactor authentication (MFA), real-time fraud detection algorithms, and enterprise-grade encryption.

According to the state’s ETS leadership, future iterations of the platform will introduce identity proofing measures – likely integrating with document scanning technologies and facial recognition systems – to strengthen confidence in digital identity claims. In doing so, Hawaii joins a growing list of U.S. states and experimenting with identity-first governance in where digital credentials become the passport to a wide array of government services.

What makes Hawaii’s approach notable is the state’s emphasis on accessibility, equity, and privacy. State officials have said that myHawaii is designed with the goal of serving all residents, including those with limited digital literacy or access to high-end devices. The user interface was developed to be mobile-responsive and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Moreover, ETS has emphasized that all personal information is stored in accordance with federal and state privacy laws, and that the identity platform is not tied to any commercial marketing or third-party data brokers.

This commitment to ethical design and limited data use stands in contrast to some national digital ID initiatives that have faced criticism for over-collection or for merging authentication with surveillance.

The launch of myHawaii coincides with the parallel availability of mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and state ID cards that residents can add to their Apple Wallets. Hawaii was one of the first states to be accepted into Apple’s secure digital ID program which allows iPhone users to store a version of their REAL ID–compliant license on their device. This digital ID can now be used at select TSA checkpoints such as Terminal 1 Makai at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

The mDL uses biometric authentication built into the device such as Face ID or Touch ID, combined with local hardware-based encryption to verify the holder’s identity without transmitting personally identifiable information to third parties.

The myHawaii platform and the Apple digital ID are not functionally merged, though they represent two pillars of the same modernization effort. The former is a state-controlled access point to services, while the latter is a device-based identity credential intended for physical and virtual identity checks.

ETS officials have indicated that they are exploring future interoperability which could potentially allow verified myHawaii accounts to link with secure wallet credentials in order to streamline onboarding for services like unemployment insurance, tax filing, and healthcare applications.

The state’s long-term vision is to make government services both more efficient and more resilient to identity fraud, which has surged in recent years across public benefits systems nationwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii experienced its own wave of fraudulent unemployment claims, prompting internal reviews and laying the groundwork for digital identity reforms. The myHawaii platform is partly a response to those vulnerabilities. State officials have acknowledged that improving cybersecurity was a key driver behind the new platform’s design and rollout.

Beyond fraud prevention and usability, the platform may also improve interoperability between agencies that historically operated with siloed data systems. The adoption of a shared identity backbone that is backed by cryptographic controls and standardized APIs offers the potential for real-time data sharing and reduced duplication of effort in areas such as benefit verification, professional licensing, and public health response. It also reduces the need for in-person service delivery in a state where inter-island travel can pose logistical barriers for residents needing access to government offices.

Privacy advocates, while cautiously optimistic, have called for more public transparency around how identity data is stored, shared, and audited. ETS has responded by committing to publish regular security assessments and engage with civil stakeholders to improve policy guardrails. ETS also stated that the platform complies with the National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines for digital identity, and that identity proofing, when introduced, will adhere to IAL2 (Identity Assurance Level 2) standards as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-63-3.

For now, the platform is voluntary, though it is expected that myHawaii will eventually become the default pathway to most state digital services. That said, Hawaii has taken pains to ensure residents can still access critical services through analog or in-person channels, reinforcing that digital inclusion – not compulsion – is the central design principle. As such, the rollout includes public education efforts to help residents create accounts, understand authentication procedures, and navigate the system.

Hawaii’s move comes as the federal government continues its own uneven attempts at digital identity reform, with conflicting developments surrounding ID.me, Login.gov, and the Biden-era push for privacy-preserving identity systems now complicated by shifts under the Trump administration.

In this context, Hawaii’s launch of a homegrown, state-managed identity platform presents a counter-model to outsourcing identity verification to private vendors. While challenges remain around scalability, inclusivity, and governance, the myHawaii Digital Identity Platform is an ambitious step toward a more coherent and secure future for public service access in the state.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  Hawaii  |  identity verification  |  myHawaii  |  single sign-on  |  Tyler Technologies  |  United States