Should I Use My State’s Digital Driver’s License?

A digital mobile driver’s license (often called an mDL) is a version of your ID that you keep on your phone instead of in your pocket. In theory, it would work wherever your regular ID works—TSA, liquor stores, to pick up a prescription, or to get into a bar. This sounds simple enough, and might even be appealing—especially if you’ve ever forgotten or lost your wallet. But there are a few questions you should ask yourself before tossing your wallet into the sea and wandering the earth with just your phone in hand.

In the United States, some proponents of digital IDs promise a future where you can present your phone to a clerk or bouncer and only reveal the information they need—your age—without revealing anything else. They imagine everyone whipping through TSA checkpoints with ease and enjoying simplified applications for government benefits. They also see it as a way to verify identity on the internet, a system that likely censors everyone.

There are real privacy and security trade-offs with digital IDs, and it’s not clear if the benefits are big enough—or exist at all—to justify them.

But if you are curious about this technology, there are still a few things you should know and some questions to consider.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Can I even use a Digital ID anywhere? 

The idea of being able to verify your age by just tapping your phone against an electronic reader—like you may already do to pay for items—may sound appealing. It might make checking out a little faster. Maybe you won’t have to worry about the bouncer at your favorite bar creepily wishing you “happy birthday,” or noting that they live in the same building as you.

Most of these use cases aren’t available yet in the United States. While there are efforts to enable private businesses to read mDLs, these credentials today are mainly being used at TSA checkpoints.

For example, in California, only a This article has been indexed from Deeplinks