Getting that plastic driver's license has been the rite of passage for most teenagers in becoming responsible adults. Moreover, a driver's license is the most recognized way of identifying anyone as most of one's personal details are recorded on it. Now, just as most of everything, from boarding passes to digital wallets taking in e-cash, the tried and tested driver's license may get a facelift — a digital one.
In the U.S., some states are now mulling over switching to digital driver's licenses, with Delaware and California already testing prototypes and will be doing pilot testing in select areas this year. If the assessment leans toward the positive, digital licenses could be made available to the general public as early as next year.
"The world is changing, and a lot of transactions and activities that people do are now done in digital formats," Mike Williams, chief of communications for Delaware DMV, said as quoted by CNet. "You can do so much with your smartphone. You can pay at the gas pump. You can go to the grocery store. You don't even need a debit card sometimes anymore. So this is just a movement in that direction."
The digital driver's license would be similar to the printed one in having the same information such as the name, address, and date of birth. It would also bear a photo matching the plastic one, and will have a scannable barcode for machines to read the information. In addition, the digital license would be a fully-working mobile app, patched into both real-time data and security protocols from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles.
Other nations are also looking into digital licenses. In Australia, New South Wales premier Mike Baird made shifting into digital licenses a campaign promise, as part of his platform of arranging major technology policies.
