NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
Delaware to implement digital driver’s licenses, follows Iowa’s lead
Delaware is looking to allow motorists to use and present digital driver’s licenses. On Thursday, December 29, the Delaware state House of Representatives authorized their Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to start the exploration and implementation process of virtual driver’s licenses.
Delaware is not the only state in the U.S. to start considering this route. Late last year, Iowa announced their pilot program to launch digital licenses to motorists and they were set to be the first state in the U.S. to offer the new technology. However, it now looks like Delaware, which has a much smaller population, may claim the achievement.
Both Delaware and Iowa, along with 40 other U.S. states, share the same driver’s license vendor, MorphoTrust USA. The vendor has been working on the smartphone app that will allow digital versions of driver’s licenses for the past two years.
MorphoTrust vice president Jenny Openshaw stated in an interview earlier this month, “We anticipated this shift a couple of years ago, and are pleased that this process has reached a stage today where we are talking with many of the 42 states that we supply with physical licenses about piloting the concept. Of course Iowa is the state that is furthest down that road.”
Whether it is Delaware or Iowa who wins the race to digital driver’s licenses, motorists would still receive a hard copy of their driver’s license and would then have the option of downloading the app.
Both states are working frantically to make digital driver’s licenses a reality for motorists; however, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the concept of digital licenses, with one of the biggest concerns being security. Openshaw said that they are working on various security features, some that will be visible to the naked eye, and some hidden. MorphoTrust and the state partners are also considering biometrics, like “fingerprint, iris or facial recognition technologies,” in order to add an extra layer of security.
It’s unclear how the system would work for people with a digital driver’s license travelling to states where the technology is not supported.
photo: Barbara J. Perenic
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
