Earlier this month, during a budget hearing in Iowa, the state's Department of Transportation (DOT) discussed with lawmakers the very real possibility of allowing drivers to keep an electronic version of their license on a smartphone app, making Iowa the very first in the country to come this close to offering such an option.
The Iowa DOT is calling the application “an identity vault app,” and the technology could be available for roll-out as early as 2015. Drivers could keep the electronic version of their license in addition to – or in lieu of – the traditional plastic ID. According to the Iowa DOT, the new license format would be available at no cost, and drivers could use the electronic license at airport screeners, bars, and traffic stops.
According to reports, the electronic version of the driver’s license “would populate within an app, similar to an e-boarding pass for a flight and include hard-to-replicate features that could cut down on fake IDs.”
Mark Lowe, the Director of the Motor Vehicle Division at Iowa DOT, stated, “We're looking into using optical bar codes and 3D-like photos for licenses that move, like when images come alive in still shots in the Harry Potter movies.”
Of course, questions have already been brought up involving security. What if someone’s phone was lost or stolen?
Addressing security concerns, Lowe added, “Users would enter a PIN number for verification, and we might include facial recognition and iris or fingerprint scanning in the future. We would make it so only the actual owner of the license would be able to access the account, and we would use digital watermark technology to do so too.”
This isn’t Iowa’s first time at the forefront of modern technology adoption on behalf of the state’s residents. In fact, the state already allows drivers to show their insurance information electronically, and residents can locate snowplows and determine road conditions by viewing footage from dashboard cameras on snowplows throughout the state. In addition, state lawmakers are considering a free app for teenage drivers that will disable smartphones while their cards are in motion.
At this time, Lowe indicated that the Iowa DOT is very focused on rolling out the pilot program for electronic licenses within the next six months.
“Other states are already talking about following our lead, if this takes off and works,” he added.
Via Mashable and Des Moines Register
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