New York has launched a voluntary mobile ID program, allowing residents to digitise their driver’s licenses or non-driver IDs on their smartphones. The New York Mobile ID app, now available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, can be used for identity verification at airports across the nation. To activate a mobile ID, users need to have a physical license, permit, or non-driver ID and take photos of the front and back during the enrollment process.
State officials promoted mobile IDs as a convenient option that will revolutionize identity protection and enhance security screening at airports. They emphasized that users have full control over sharing information, revealing only what is necessary for specific verification purposes.
The app is designed to keep the phone in the user’s possession at all times, displaying a QR code that can be scanned for identity verification. Changes to license status, such as renewals or suspensions, are automatically updated on the mobile ID, and it also reflects information like organ donor status.
While acceptance by businesses and law enforcement is currently voluntary, with no compliance deadline set, the state has released a verifier app for businesses to start accepting mobile IDs immediately. The mobile IDs can be used at nearly 30 participating airports across the country, including all terminals at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.
New York joins a growing list of states that have rolled out mobile driver’s licenses, including Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. Both Android and iOS offer native support for mobile driver’s licenses in their respective digital wallet apps.
As smartphones increasingly store various forms of identification and keys, the traditional “keys, wallet, phone” mantra may become obsolete for some.
However, digital IDs raise privacy concerns about tracking, detailed data trails, and potential risks associated with third-party vendors storing sensitive information.
The New York Civil Liberties Union has called for transparency, public debate, and comprehensive privacy protections, expressing concerns about the lack of scrutiny and potential harms related to digitising identification systems.