Illinois Passes Law That Allows Residents To Carry Mobile IDs
Illinois has passed a law that allows its residents to carry mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs instead of physical ones. Discover which other states have implemented the law and the security concerns and measures regarding these digital IDs.
- Illinois residents can start carrying their mobile state IDs and driver’s licenses from January 1, 2025.
- While certain groups have raised concerns regarding user privacy, the state senator has assured of taking different measures to ensure individuals’ data privacy.
Illinois has passed a law allowing residents to show mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs instead of physical ones. The legislation, part of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office-wide modernization effort, will take effect on January 1, 2025.
Residents can use these IDs in situations like purchasing alcohol or renting a car while hiding sensitive personal information. According to the Transport Security Administration (TSA) officials, the agency will also accept mobile identification at airports. However, the agency encourages individuals to carry their physical IDs along with digital ones. In the case of REAL ID-compliant cards, mobile IDs can also be used in those situations. That said, officials again urge residents to keep physical copies of their IDs.
Security Concerns and Measures Related to Mobile IDs
A few groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), had earlier expressed concerns regarding mobile IDs. They cited fears that law enforcement could search an individual’s phone without proper consent. However, the measure in Illinois prohibits law enforcement officers from searching the phone’s contents after viewing the mobile ID.
Additionally, according to a release by state Senator Michael E. Hastings, a person displaying their digital license or ID would not consent to have the device searched. Further, the mobile IDs and driver’s licenses will help residents decide what information they want to share using a contactless encrypted data exchange between their devices and the reader.
In his statement, Sen. Hastings said, “Mobile driver’s license and ID cards provide our residents with the option to protect their personal information. There is no reason age verification should require residents to disclose sensitive information such as their address when we have the technology available for mobile cards that allow for selective information disclosure.”
Another concern by certain groups is that digital IDs can be used to target marginalized groups, increase surveillance, or worsen systemic biases. Alexis Hancock, director of engineering at the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Certbot project, called for the digital IDs to be designed focusing on equity and privacy. Hancock also expressed concerns that as IDs get more digitized, the ease of access will lead to people being expected to prove their identity more often.
States Implementing Mobile IDs
Twelve states in the US already offer mobile forms of identification, and at least 18 others are working toward their implementation. These IDs are active in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, and Utah. The states where mobile IDs are in progress include Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia. Further, a few states have not yet implemented mobile IDs, which may be done in the future. A few such states include Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
How To Add Your Digital ID to Google/ Apple Wallet
Digital IDs in both Google and Apple Wallets work in tandem with the device’s bio-authentication features to verify that the person holding the phone is the one whose ID is on the device.
To add a digital ID to your Google Walle, either have a preinstalled app on your Android phone or download it from the app store. You should also enable a screen lock to ensure people other than you can’t use your device and wallet. Next, go into the Wallet app and look for the “Add to Wallet” button. Tap that and select the “ID card” option. Select “Get Started” and pick your state. Then, you can either upload photos of your ID from your device memory or use your phone camera to click the photos. Google Wallet will also ask you to take a video, which is used to match the photo on your ID. Before using the digital ID, the state should approve your provided information, which may take a few minutes.
For iPhone, Apple’s digital ID features only on iPhone 8 models or newer. You should have the app to add digital IDs to your Apple Wallet, which should come preinstalled on your device. Go to the app and click the Add button. Select your State ID or Driver’s License and select the relevant state. You can choose to pair your digital ID with only your iPhone or with an Apple Watch as well. From here, the app will guide you in taking photos of your ID. Finally, you will be prompted to record a short video of yourself. The camera will also snap your picture and use the associated video and photo to analyze if you are the person on the card. You will then be asked to link the ID with biometric information.
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