Smartphone-Compatible Digital Driver's Licenses Launching in Iowa in 2015

[brueck]

It's happening!

 

[avanpelt]

I'm all for the scanning idea myself, but seriously, am I the only one on this forum who isn't a drug dealer or pedophile or something? There's nothing incriminating on my phone.

It has nothing to do with having illegal data for me, at least. I don't have anything illegal or incriminating on my phone. However, I do have personal information on my phone that I'm not going to place into the hands of a total stranger just because they have a badge. Once you hand someone your unlocked iPhone, they can access any number of things without needing a password or Touch ID authentication -- call history, voicemails, texts, camera roll, countless apps, etc. I don't share those things with total strangers as a general matter of practice.

 

[tlevier]

I was going to say, sorry, out of battery... but I think this might have a future.

If you can send your digital license to the officer's device using NFC (similar to Apple Pay) you won't be giving your phone away, you just handle him your license and if the App on the officer's device has some sort of security verification system you can also be sure the officer is not an impostor and you can also see his name and have a record of the date and time of the event.

So, I say it's an idea that has potential.

I like that idea of being able to make it more like a transaction where we get details automatically. It would be great then that if you do participate and have a registered email address, that any future written reports or logged evidence get sent to you automatically.

----------

Really? I renewed my California license in June and there is not a yellow star on it.

Maybe you actually are special!

I think there's probably certain states that have implemented REAL ID, which is the requirement to be a part of the national system. As I understand it, it's actually quite a contentious issue....though I really don't know off the top of my head what the points are that each side is articulating. I think Michigan is one of the REAL ID states. One benefit, supposedly, is with a REAL ID, you can cross the Canadian border without a passport.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

So now you're unlocking your phone and giving it to an officer so rules on searches and seizures don't apply. Sign me up!

With Apple Pay, Passbook, and the new "Medical ID" page available even on a locked phone, this ID should be able to be launched as a Passbook or Medical ID sub-page, so you can display it without unlocking.

That would resolve it to my satisfaction. Now for the US Federal Government to allow the Passport Card to be used electronically.....

----------

Then you sue him for tampering with evidence. He loses his job, goes to jail, and you get damages.

Or, you get arrested for videoing the officer, and the officer doesn't get charged with anything...

 

[Digital Skunk]

So now you're unlocking your phone and giving it to an officer so rules on searches and seizures don't apply. Sign me up!

I was going to talk about how cool it would be to have a digital drivers license. How awesome it would be to just pay online and renew and all of that. After reading your comment I am like

Never mind !!!

Maryland is one backward state when it comes to running their MVA.

 

[thefourthpope]

maybe they will have a barcode and scanner like at the grocery store... We are all just a bag of chips....

I thought that's where the article was going. Officer has a little scanner attached to the new OtterBox CITATIONCASE to scan your phone. All the convenience of starbucks, now able to prosecute!

 

[spatlese44]

Wisconsin is one of those states that issues Real ID licenses, but it's optional and the states website doesn't necessarily encourage you to get one. My knowledge of this comes partly from the fact that I'm going to renew my license tomorrow. I will be going the Real ID route. I've got a passport and have only been to Canada twice, but I thought there was something about flying.

In general, I'd agree that I'd rather not hand just anyone my unlocked phone. I just can't see anything that would interest anyone. I called my mom yesterday. Is that relevant?

The more I think about this, they probably won't want your phone. It's what I said earlier; they'll write down the license number and go back to their car and punch it into the computer. I say write, but maybe they'll type it into their iPhone. (cop with glasses)

 

[Dimwhit]

I really like this, and I've been waiting for it for a while. But I do agree with some of the concerns.

First, it needs to be adopted (and ideally standardized) nationwide, so that it will work in other states.

Second, the app should lock out the rest of the phone without passcode/finger print. Or, better yet, get the cops RFC devices so you can just send your license info to their receiver. That way you never hand over your phone. Doesn't help for all the non-RFC phones, though. Maybe the app can generate a bar/qr code that the cops can scan? That's a little cumbersome, but it's not like it would be that bad, unless you were in a position to be showing cops your ID on a regular basis.

It's early, though, and I think in a few years all states will have this and it will be done right. I've been hoping Apple would start working with states to get this started.

 

[yg17]

There's a dashcam video that shows your interaction with the cop and that there's no way your behavior caused him to damage your phone...

Then you sue him for tampering with evidence. He loses his job, goes to jail, and you get damages.

There's video of a cop choking a man to death and a grand jury didn't even indict him. What makes you think a cop would actually be held responsible for his or her actions?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

There's video of a cop choking a man to death and a grand jury didn't even indict him. What makes you think a cop would actually be held responsible for his or her actions?

I don't think this is at all a similar thing.

In the case of the man dying, there were going to be severe consequences to losing the case: the officer was facing years of jail time and the department would have to shell out a lot of money to the family. Thus, it was worth the time to go to court and try to win.

I haven't followed the case closely, but I would assume that they tried saying that the officer had intentionally murdered the man, which they lacked enough evidence of (yes, obviously the man was murdered by the officer, but there is a possibility that the officer accidentally killed him. That possibility means there is a shadow of doubt, which means he has to be assumed innocent.)

Going to court over a dropped phone isn't worth it to the department. When they're found guilty, they'd have to pay me a small amount to fix it, plus extra for the trouble (they'd probably have to pay me between $600 and $3K, depending on how broken the phone was). In contrast, they could just settle with me out of court and give me $200 to have the screen fixed. Even if they went to court and won, they'd still have to pay lawyers and the officer. It's not worth it to them - it's cheaper and easier to just settle.

 

[mrgraff]

This remote possibility scares me:

1. Passenger asked to step out of the vehicle.
2. Cop asks to see passenger's ID.
3. Passenger quickly reaches into a pocket to get his cell phone.
4. Cop accidentally shoots passenger.

 

[flash84x]

So now you're unlocking your phone and giving it to an officer so rules on searches and seizures don't apply. Sign me up!

Maybe if it was worked into PassBook somehow. Officers could have an iBeacon on their person that the phone recognizes and pops up on the lock screen... I'm reaching here, I like the idea of not needing to carry anything but my phone.

Although I'd never hand my phone right over to them for fear of damage. Perhaps if it could be transferred to their device. That would probably be more "secure" in that it would be harder to create fake IDs.

It's probably just not ready yet, I that someone is considering the ideas though.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Somehow I don't see Kansas implementing digital IDs. They're very proud of having the "most secure" licenses. I also wouldn't want just a digital license for if I get pulled over. I'd rather have my physical one in that case, but the digital would be handy for restaurants or the liquor store.

The fact that this is coming from Iowa amuses me. I got pulled over by an Iowa state trooper a few years ago, and he didn't like the paper I handed over with my license that had my then-current address on it. Kansas allows you to update your address online and print off an updated form without having to pay for a new license.

If the Feds decided to go with digital passports, that could get complicated for people who travel to countries with less access to technology.

 

[Glassed Silver]

And when the officer drops your iphone and damages it who pays?

Wrong question.

Instead try this approach: Why did you never notice the cracked screen and dents on your iPhone before that day?

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[pauliaK]

Now everyone will be able to fake an ID in secconds while on the go. Should I make an app that takes a picture from your digital ID and then generates the rest with your desired information making you old enough to buy alcohol and stuff? Couldn't be easier .

 

[klo6]

Maybe if it was worked into PassBook somehow. Officers could have an iBeacon on their person that the phone recognizes and pops up on the lock screen... .

As a woman, it can be especially scary to get pulled over late at night and/or on a back road with no traffic. So, I would expand on this "iBeacon on their person" idea... The iBeacon could in turn send something to your phone showing the officer's picture, name, and badge # so you could verify that you are being pulled over by a real cop. (Plus I would then screenshot it for later reference.) There are many service companies like windshield replacement, carpet installation, etc that email you a picture of the person that will be coming to do work in your home before your appointment. So I don't think it should be too much to ask to see a picture associated with the badge on that person to verify that they are who they say they are.

 

[J. Jizzle]

I surely hope the DMV would still issue a physical license, and the digital one will be an extra option. It's kinda ridiculous how much we as a society are depending so much on a handheld computer device, but as soon as something happens with the software we all bitch and complain about how on Earth something like getting a virus, software bug, or getting hacked could happen...

 

[ayale99]

Remember the cop that was pulling over females, going through their phones and texting himself their pictures?

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_26781240/nude-photos-woman-dui-chp-cop

 

[reden]

Best time to announce something like this when cops are under such scrutiny.

 

[TimelessOne]

I'm all for the scanning idea myself, but seriously, am I the only one on this forum who isn't a drug dealer or pedophile or something? There's nothing incriminating on my phone.

There's also the concern for hacking this thing. Create a developers account, write an app that mimics the state one right down to the icon and install whatever ID you want. Goodbye Dan H---------- hello José Rosquilla!

And for what it's worth, why do we need an ID anyway? Why can't I just tell the cop my SS# or something similar and he can look it up? Are we living in the stone ages or a world with a global internet?

For me it is all about my privacy. I do not want people being able to look threw my emails. Look at my bank account with out reason, look threw my text messages ect.

That is MY Data. Now is there anything illegal in any of it. No. But that is not the point. I draw the line at the fact that my privacy matters.

 

[H3boy]

I think it will use the secure element like Apple Pay or something like that, probably you will need your fingerprint to access it.

I think you're safer if someone steals your iPhone than if someone steals your wallet.

The whole point of the secure element is to keep things out of it, won't allow a third party app to access it. So it could not use the secure element.

 

[nikicampos]

The whole point of the secure element is to keep things out of it, won't allow a third party app to access it. So it could not use the secure element.

"or something like that"

 

[cdavis11]

During a state agency budget hearing this past Monday, DOT Director Paul Trombino reassured Iowa Governor Terry Branstad about the upcoming launch of the pioneering digital ID system. Trombino assured that those wanting to stick with a traditional plastic ID will have the option to do so, but that the new digital license will be widely supported throughout the state, including "Iowa law enforcement officers during traffic stops and by security officers screening travelers at Iowa's airports." The new smartphone app was called "an Identity Vault app" and is promised to be highly secure, with customers using a PIN number for verification.

So if i'm checking in at the airport with my electronic boarding pass, now I have to access my boarding pass on my phone, scan that...exit out...bring up my ID and have the TSA check that? Sounds cumbersome and like it'll so down an already slow TSA line.

 

[H3boy]

So if i'm checking in at the airport with my electronic boarding pass, now I have to access my boarding pass on my phone, scan that...exit out...bring up my ID and have the TSA check that? Sounds cumbersome and like it'll so down an already slow TSA line.

I can just see someone doing what you just said and their phone dying in the middle of it. Followed by a collective groan from everyone in line behind that person.

 

[Primejimbo]

Who doesn't have a car charger or USB port in their car nowadays?

I haven't had a car charge since I have iPhone 4. I haven't needed on for years and when I get home from work I have at least 20% left.

This is only ok if the rest of your phone is somehow locked when you hand the officer your "license". Otherwise you give up your right to privacy. I predict issues with cops taking liberties by poking around in your phone.

I agree, I'll just keep my current drives licenses for now.