Montana allows US mDLs for traffic stops, launches verifier app for police

A driver’s license can be useful for proving one’s age or identity, but most people carry them in case they get pulled over by police and are asked for ID. Law enforcement is the ultimate relying party, and the use case that will allow digital identity credentials like mobile drivers licenses (mDL) to deliver on its promise to be a transformational technology.

Montana is the latest state moving to make digital ID legal for traffic stops. A release from the state’s Department of Justice says Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) troopers will begin accepting Montana Mobile IDs and other mobile IDs from across the country during routine traffic stops.

MHP Colonel Kurt Sager says the digital credential system “provides a secure and convenient way for drivers to carry and present their identification,” which will “streamline traffic stops for our troopers and the public.”

Using a mobile ID, which is opt-in, requires the holder to inform the trooper they want to use a digital credential, which can then be presented through a scan by a mobile reader or via QR code. MHP troopers cannot ask for it, and drivers are never required to hand over a device.

Per the release, “users will be able to review the requested information before it’s shared with the trooper, and after reviewing, they can consent to present the requested information by authenticating with their biometrics.”

Smart COP provides verifying app for troopers

Montana’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) made its Mobile ID available on Apple Wallet and Google Wallet last year. It launched in tandem with a verifying device to enable businesses to accept the digital credential.

The SmartMobile application for troopers is provided by Smart COP, Inc., a Florida-based public safety software firm that also supports MHP’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) program. Smart COP does not store any personal data, and the system does not give any data to the issuing authority or wallet provider.

“When presenting a Montana Mobile ID, Apple or Google and the state-issuing authority do not know when or to whom a user presents their driver license or state ID. A user’s presentment history is encrypted and stored only on the users’ device, and neither Apple, Google nor the state-issuing authority can see or access this information.”

The usual caveat applies, in that Montana drivers must still legally carry their physical ID.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  law enforcement  |  mDL verification  |  Montana  |  Montana Mobile ID  |  Montana Mobile ID Verifier  |  QR code  |  Smart COP