A digital or mobile driver’s license (mDL) is a version of a driver’s license that is stored on a smartphone, similar to how a credit card is stored on a mobile wallet.
States and corporations are rapidly developing mDLs across the country, with little public awareness of their risks. As of December 2023, dozens of states are researching, testing, or implementing mDLs.
The mDL could easily become a primary tool for government and corporate surveillance because smartphones already are. We take our smartphones everywhere and use them to store vast amounts of personal information. Smartphones also collect massive amounts of data about our daily lives, often without our knowledge, and report that to corporations.
With mDLs, our phones would become our IDs. Police and companies like Apple, Google, IDEMIA, and GET Group, whose business models are built around capturing massive amounts of data, have a mutual interest in increasing our data trails and reliance on our smartphones. Adding more sensitive personal information—like when and where we use our driver’s licenses—increases the risk of surveillance and abuse.
Read our FAQ for information on how mDLs work, potential risks and impacts of mDLs, and more.
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Last update: Aug 29, 2024