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That's not what this feature is intended for, and they're very clear about that.

"However, Apple says it is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel and border crossing purposes."
So basically it's the equal of the RealID.. except possibly allows Mexico and Canada?

In LA, they don't even accept my digital license
 
And the number of times I've had a TSA or gate agent go "Look at you, Mr. Fancy!" when I show a boarding pass on my watch doesn't inspire confidence that things will change quickly. Nonetheless, progress is progress however slow.
It's dumb and pointless to use a watch for this. I tried this with Android Wear even before Apple Watch was launched. Yeah, it's cool the first time, but then you have to contort your wrist just to put it face down... and what about those C-clamp style readers where your wrist won't fit?

It's just dumb. I always felt people who insisted on doing stuff on their watch was just showing off because there's no way it's more effective or easier than pulling it up on your phone. In a very limited case with payments I've seen the watch be more effective like you're holding a bunch of stuff (e.g. forgot your reusable shopping bags and dont' want to pay extra for a bag fee), and then just move your hand against the NFC reader. But for anything that needs QR code scanning where actual alignment matters, a watch often doesn't work well at all.
 
My state allows digital IDs on phones. I have one, but I will never ever use it in front of law enforcement officers. It's a bad idea to hand over your iphone to any leo. For example, during a traffic stop, you hand over your iphone to a leo. He may access not only your ID but also your photos, emails, and instagram. Since you've voluntarily handed over and unlocked your phone, it may be legal for them view its contents. This applies to digital passports.

I will keep a digital passport in my phone just in case, but I will never use it.
You do NOT hand over your phone. They are suppose to have a device where you simply tap (like using a credit card in Apple Wallet).

Why do people keep thinking you have to hand over the phone???
 
My state allows digital IDs on phones. I have one, but I will never ever use it in front of law enforcement officers. It's a bad idea to hand over your iphone to any leo. For example, during a traffic stop, you hand over your iphone to a leo. He may access not only your ID but also your photos, emails, and instagram. Since you've voluntarily handed over and unlocked your phone, it may be legal for them view its contents. This applies to digital passports.

I will keep a digital passport in my phone just in case, but I will never use it.
The solution to that issue? Don't hand over your phone. You are not required to and in fact, should not be doing so. That's not how the digital IDs work. Your digital ID is scanned by the law enforcement officer using a reader. Or maybe the officer will just look at it on the lock screen. If one asks to take your phone and there really are no other options then lock your phone first. The ID will show up without you needing to unlock your phone. Police officers do not have a right to snoop through your phone. In fact, courts have consistently held that police generally need a warrant (or an applicable exception) to access the private contents of a phone (photos, emails, social media, etc.), even if the phone is unlocked. Handing your phone over to display an ID is not the same as consenting to a search of everything inside it. If one searched through your phone for a simple traffic stop, that's an easy legal win for you.
 
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I think this has less to do with convenience during travel than to track and control people. If you have a verified gov ID for all your online activity, then how easy would it be to attach a gov social credit score to your online activity?

Just a question.
You do NOT hand over your phone. They are suppose to have a device where you simply tap (like using a credit card in Apple Wallet).

Why do people keep thinking you have to hand over the phone???

no personal experience with this, but I've heard that if you don't voluntarily "Tap" your phone they will take it to a back room where they clone the whole phone to a USB drive, and brute force the USB drive on some specialized black box that will tell them everything they want to know, AND it will install spyware on your phone, so they can continue to monitor you in the future.

If you just "tap" your phone voluntarily, then it will still install the same spyware on your phone to monitor you in the future.

One is "more convenient," but both options are very bad as legal citizens.
 
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As a US citizen living in Los Angeles, I just recently applied for and received a US Passport Card which I keep in my wallet. It's sad we're now living in a "show me your papers" state but I don't want to take the chance of getting picked up by ICE in a random raid. Unfortunately in my state, illegal aliens can get drivers licenses, so a drivers license doesn't provide proof of citizenship. I've no choice to carry a passport card, and I would have it on my iPhone as well, if I could. A lot of innocent US citizens have been picked up and sometimes forced to stay 2-3 days in ICE custody before the government realizes their mistake and releases them. These are crappy times to live in. Everyone should follow the boy scout code: BE PREPARED! and take advantage of whatever tech is out there to prove you're a US citizen.
 
I think this has less to do with convenience during travel than to track and control people. If you have a verified gov ID for all your online activity, then how easy would it be to attach a gov social credit score to your online activity?

Just a question.


no personal experience with this, but I've heard that if you don't voluntarily "Tap" your phone they will take it to a back room where they clone the whole phone to a USB drive, and brute force the USB drive on some specialized black box that will tell them everything they want to know, AND it will install spyware on your phone, so they can continue to monitor you in the future.

If you just "tap" your phone voluntarily, then it will still install the same spyware on your phone to monitor you in the future.

One is "more convenient," but both options are very bad as legal citizens.
They can clone your phone but iPhone's have some pretty strong military-grade encryption on them. As for installing spyware on your phone, if a law enforcement officer takes your phone to some back room and then hands it back to you, I would hope the first thing you do when you get home is do a complete wipe and reinstall of the original software. :)
 
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