Florida to introduce mobile driving licences

Thales digtal Id and driving licence on a smartphone
IDENTITY: The mobile driving licence provides digital proof of the holder’s ID, licence status and age

Drivers in the US state of Florida will soon be able to apply for a mobile driving licence that they can use to provide digital proof of their identity, licence status and age — just as they do with a conventional licence — and also to verify themselves when accessing a variety of online services.

The new Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles licences will be the first to meet both ISO international and US domestic standards and will begin rolling out in 2021.

They can be read by scanning a QR code, and enable users to control what personal information is displayed so that only the details relevant to any given situation — such as proving their age in a bar — are provided to the person requesting their credentials.

The system uses credential service provider technology developed by Thales and will allow users to “activate the mobile identification application, select the type of verification required, and upload it to their mobile device”.

“The mobile device never leaves the owner’s hand, making it a contactless and convenient way to show ID,” Thales says.

“These mobile driving licences are harder to counterfeit, as they host a secure digitized credential whose authenticity can be checked rather than simply displaying a digital image of a driving licence that could be easily manipulated,” the company adds.

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