Digital driver's licenses? House lawmakers consider bill to put IDs on your smartphone

We used to call them smartphones, but they’ve gotten so smart that phone calls seem to be way down on the list of their most frequent uses. So why not add the role of a driver’s license to that little device’s responsibilities?

That’s what Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee) would like to do. He sponsors HF1335, which would authorize the Department of Public Safety to implement electronic versions of driver’s licenses and Minnesota identification cards.

“You never have to hand your phone over to anyone,” Tabke told the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee on Wednesday. “This is just a tap method, like Apple Pay, Google Pay or the chip on your credit card. And so people would be able to have a license or ID within their phone. The purposes of this would be simply for safety, convenience and protecting your privacy.”

The bill was laid over, as amended, for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

It contains details about contracting and rulemaking authority, various requirements on system implementation, provisions on electronic and physical credential use, and the authority to set a fee.

Pong Xiong, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Vehicle Services Division, said it’s an increasingly popular option.

“Twelve states already offer an identity document that can be used by [the Transportation Safety Administration], and many, many more are looking to pursue that option throughout the country,” Xiong said.

“The governor and DVS support efficiencies in government providing services to customers in the way they prefer,” he added. “This is why the governor recommended an online renewal option for [driver’s licenses] in the DVS budget. Similarly, a mobile ID would provide opportunities for customers who want the option to store their driver’s license or ID card securely in their phone.”

Joe Lohmeier is a project manager for Fast Enterprises, which provides the software, implementation services, conversion and training for the state’s driver’s license system. He believes an electronic license or ID to be more secure than a plastic license.

“When you are identifying yourself for an age-restricted purchase or you’re going into a bar and you need to identify your age, handing over a physical credential today hands over all your private data,” Lohmeier said. “Your name, address, date of birth, height, weight, everything. Within the mobile ID infrastructure, it’s designed in a way that when you share your identity, only the data that is necessary for that interaction is shared with the identifier.”

Tabke tried to mollify concerns that it would eventually become a requirement, rather than an option.

“You would use it if, and only if, you choose to,” he said.

Rep. Bjorn Olson (R-Fairmont) noted that the bill also contains language requiring that drivers must have a physical license with them when behind the wheel. So the electronic version would serve strictly as a form of identification.