Solutions Still Needed To Address Iowa Digital Driver's Licenses Privacy Concerns

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Iowa will be the first state to adopt digital driver’s license technology. The Des Moines Register reports new licenses will be issued in the form of a smartphone app, which will be “highly secure” and free for drivers, according to Paul Trombino, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, and will be accepted by Iowa law enforcement officers as well as TSA agents at Iowa’s airports.

And while traditional plastic driver’s licenses will remain an option, the new digital license will work just like the physical version.  Trombino calls it “an identity vault app,” and said “It is basically your license on your phone.”

According to ABC News, state employees will be the first test group to have the opportunity to try out the digital licenses. No timeline has yet been released for the rollout of the technology, though Mark Lowe, a director at the Department of Transportation, told ABC News that a number of issues still remain unresolved before the rollout could begin.

The new app has high level security, and uses a PIN number for verification. Trombino explains, “Having this really allows people to protect their identity,” and suggested that the technology could be used for other types of state licenses in the future.

Iowa is currently one of the more than 30 states that accept electronic proof of insurance during traffic stops via mobile devices.

But while the transition to digital licenses has some excited about the possibilities of lightening our wallets, others are raising possibly privacy concerns.  The Christian Science Monitor explains that during a traffic stop, a police officer must verify the digital license by taking the phone and scanning the license bar code with hardware in the police car.  That means that the phone will be out of the possession of the owner, and private messages or information might appear across the top of the phone while the officer is performing the confirmation scan. 

Lowe told ABC News, “That is one of the things people had concerns about.  Once the officer has that, can he rifle through my phone?”

Iowa’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently looking for technology solutions to the privacy concerns, according to CNET.  Locking the rest of the phone while the driver’s license app is open is one possible fix being suggested.  Andrea Henry, Iowa DOT director of strategic communication, told CNET that they are also looking into technology that would allow the officer to scan the phone without it ever leaving the owner’s hands. 

“Really, it’s about giving customers a choice,” Henry told Tech Crunch. “We’re in an increasingly mobile world, and there are so many things that are connected to your mobile phone.”

But Lowe also said that the technology may transcend the “showing your license” trend.  He said, “These devices allow us to communicate with other devices. The long-term concept is we may simply be able to let one mobile device talk to another.”