MOBILE DRIVER LICENSE USE CASE:
TSA
SECURITY CHECKPOINTS WILL NEED TO ACCESS MOBILE LICENSES FOR TRAVELER IDENTIFICATION AT AIRPORTS AND OTHER PORTS OF ENTRY AND EXIT
using DMV data to confirm the peoples’ identities when setting up credentials to access different state services. Those projects are being done with pilot funds from the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace. But there aren’t many state agencies that wouldn’t love to have access to their state’s DMV records, says Mathtec’s Dean. “In every state that I talk to, all the agencies want access to the driver license data to verify information,” he explains. “The DMV is the one government agency where people have to establish identity face-to-face in a physical location.” Standards will be important in this aspect of mobile driver licenses too, says Symantec’s Madlin. “You have to get all states on board or it won’t have real adoption,” he explains. “As states become the trusted source of identity they can expand their citizen applications, broaden adoption and spur greater success.” Online identity vetting has been a difficult proposition. If states start issuing a digital credential based on in-person identity vetting that solves a lot of problems. “DMVs and mobile driver licenses have a role to play in the bigger identity picture,” says Madlin. The possible applications for mobile driver licenses are endless. The dream of a virtual wallet that combines driver license, payments and a digital identity has been discussed for years but might be around the corner. It promises to change the way citizens interact with DMVs, government agencies and other relying parties. But it will require massive effort to create the standards and build the infrastructure necessary to make this dream a reality.
Lessons learned:
Ever-changing mobile operating systems pose challenges Iowa rolled out its mobile driver license pilot in August. The program was moving along when it hit a snag a few weeks in, says Mark Lowe, director of Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division. “When iOS 9 came out we had problems,” he explains. It was an important lesson learned early on in the pilot. DMVs are used to issuing a credential and then not having to see the individual again until they come in years later for renewal. With the constant updates of mobile operating systems states will have to keep tabs to make sure updates don’t lock apps and render them unusable. Iowa is running its pilot now on iOS devices, but when these systems roll out in larger numbers support will have to be available for all devices and operating systems. “You can’t just come up with a secure approach that works on iPhone or Android alone,” says Steve Purdy, director of business development for Government Affairs at Gemalto. “You need one that works on all operating systems and devices.” How mobile driver licenses are verified also has to be ubiquitous across handsets, Purdy says. This may limit the verification technology to bar codes or Bluetooth Low Energy – a technology that has been standard on smart phones since 2012.
Spring 2016
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