California has been developing a digital ID for some time now, and the California DMV received permission to start testing mobile driver’s licenses and ID cards with a limited number of people back in 2021. The state has not yet confirmed specifically that its mobile ID solution will integrate with the Wallet app function that Apple has introduced, but we may not have long to wait to find out what California has planned.

Roughly 30 states are conducting either research or a pilot program on mobile driver’s licenses, according to Jason Bohrer, executive director of the Security Technology Alliance (STA), a nonprofit association that supports the technology’s adoption.

The Mobile ID gives residents advantages in terms of convenience, security and privacy, according to Magnolia State Live. It can be used as a legal form of contactless identity verification anywhere in the state that driver’s licenses are accepted.

The third-party mDL certification from UL is the first of its kind, according to the announcement. It applies to Thales’ Digital ID Wallet on both the Android and iOS platforms.

Google launches monthly Android security updates to keep your phone safe and bring new features, but these aren’t the only way that improvements can arrive. As of late, Google has put a strong emphasis on Play Services, the Play Store, and Android’s Play System Updates, referring to the trio as the “Google System.” Each month, Google outlines what’s new across these three avenues, offering a sneak peek at new features for the month ahead.

An open letter is seeking help from the community and market to find ways to ensure compatibility between two emerging standards for digital driving license’s, and potentially for credentials more generally, and that they do what implementers want them to do. The standards emerging are the W3C VC (verifiable credentials) Data Model and the ISO 18013-5 mDL (mobile driving license).

The beta was announced by Google’s support unit, but the idea was teased at least as far back as November 2017, when Digital ID vendor Yoti put a license app on Google’s Play marketplace.

Californians are understandably proud of what their state has done to advance privacy protection by enacting comprehensive privacy legislation in 2018. That pride now stands in the way of federal privacy legislation. As a strong bill advanced to the House floor, California officials mounted a full court lobbying press against its preemption of provisions in state laws that are “covered by” provisions in the federal law.

“Colorado is at the forefront of digital innovation to better serve customers,” said Executive Director Mark Ferrandino, Colorado Department of Revenue, in a news release. “We are committed to saving people time, enhancing convenience and security, and expanding accessibility for all Coloradans.”

A quick glance at any online discussion board reveals the challenges confronting digital identity, and why we’re so wedded to the plastic driver’s licenses in our wallets.