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Thales to Provide Mobile Driver Licenses to State of Florida
October 2020 by Emmanuelle Lamandé
The State of Florida will be the first state in the United States to provide mobile Driver Licenses with leading-edge security mechanisms, compliant with rigorous national and international standards. 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.
In 2021, Florida residents will be able to apply for new mobile Driver Licenses that are 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.
Now, to complement the traditional use of driver licenses to prove their identity, Florida residents will be able to simply activate their mobile identification application, select the type of verification needed, and hold up their mobile device. The mobile device never leaves the owners hand, making it a contact-free and convenient way to show ID.
“I’m excited for this innovation project that will make the state of Florida a national leader in offering secure and trusted mobile identification, which is a priority for our Governor, Ron DeSantis,” said Terry L. Rhodes, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “We have made a sustained commitment to the modernization of nearly every aspect of what our department does and how customers access our services, and Thales will be a great partner as Florida now steps into the future of mobile identification.”
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.
