Digital Driver Licenses Are Coming to The State of Florida
The State of Florida will be the first state in the United States to provide mobile Driver Licenses with leading-edge security mechanisms, fully compliant with rigorous national and international standards.
The company Thales will supply the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles with mobile Driver License verification services, as well as a mobile Driver License solution for residents.
A new secure app became available Wednesday, November 3rd. 2021... but won’t be fully turned on until mid-November, 2021.
You can download it now in Your App Store...
Simply search for: Florida Smart ID
An education campaign for drivers and law enforcement will launch soon.
Drivers must consent for the digital information to be transmitted to police or merchants checking IDs.
While the rollout is coming soon, the state will be taking baby steps to make sure the app is secure and that police have the equipment to receive the device’s information without ever having to hold your phone.
In 2021, Florida residents will be able to apply for new mobile Driver Licenses that are easily accessible on a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets. These mobile Driver Licenses meet the national and international standards from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the International Organization for Standardization, meaning they can be used across the United States and internationally.
These new mobile Driver Licenses have the same validity as traditional driver’s licenses to verify identity, including proof of age and driving privileges. It also provides an additional role as a strong authentication tool, enabling Floridians to securely prove who they are online for a variety of services.
These mobile Driver Licenses are harder to counterfeit, as they host a secure digitized credential whose authenticity can be checked rather than simply displaying a digital image of a driver license that could be easily manipulated.
For stronger privacy, users of mobile Driver Licenses control what information is displayed from the app depending on the context. For example, to enter a casino it only needs to show that the individual is old enough and the mobile Driver License will just display that information – not the individual’s name, date of birth, or address.
The Florida mobile Driver License program builds on Thales’ strong foundation of supporting state identity programs for 11 other U.S. states and five Canadian provinces.
From the State of Florida:
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) is committed to modernizing nearly every aspect of what we do and how customers access our services. As part of that sustained commitment, the state of Florida is developing a mobile driver license – Florida Smart ID. Florida Smart ID is an optional, application-based version of your driver license or ID card, which can be downloaded on your smart device. It is not simply a photo of your license and does not replace your physical driver license, which will still need to carried when driving.
After downloading and activating, Floridians will simply launch their Florida Smart ID app, select the type of verification needed, such as proof of age when buying an age-restricted product, or identity verification for a law enforcement official, and display the QR code on their smart device to be scanned for verification. The Florida Smart ID user will also have to consent each time before the information is passed to the verifying device. The smart device does not need to leave the owner’s hand when being verified by a retailer or by law enforcement, making Florida Smart ID a contact-free and convenient way to display proof of identity or age.
To verify a Florida Smart ID, businesses and law enforcement will need a companion Florida Smart ID Verifier app. Businesses or law enforcement verifying a Florida Smart ID will only have access to driver license and ID card information individuals consent to share with them – and no other information or data from their smart device.
Learn more about the State of Florida's plan for Digital Drivers Licenses, directly from the State here: https://www.flhsmv.gov/floridasmartid/
Thales, a leader in mobile driver’s license technology, successfully conducted the first U.S. mobile Driver’s License or Digital Driver’s License pilots across multiple states through a partnership and grant awarded in 2016 by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Thales has recently been nationally recognized for the Digital ID Wallet, which incorporates the mobile Driver’s License solution, by Frost & Sullivan and ABI Research.
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019.
Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations — connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — technologies that support businesses, organizations and governments in their decisive moments.
Learn more about Thales here: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/thales-provide-mobile-driver-licenses-state-florida
Photo: The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV)