US mDLs Driving in Both Directions

As the rollout of mobile driving licences (mDLs) gathers momentum across the US, a parallel movement in the opposite direction is questioning the privacy implications of these digital credentials. Spearheaded by the ‘No Phone Home’ campaign ¹, privacy advocates are mounting a challenge to what they see as a creeping erosion of civil liberties.

At the heart of the debate is the tension, as it is for much of the physical to digital transition, between convenience, security and privacy. mDLs, which conform to the ISO standard for secure storage and transmission of driving licence data via smartphones, promise enhanced interoperability, faster authentication, and seamless digital integration across services.