Digital Driver’s Licenses Could Be Coming to Illinois Soon

Photo: Daniel Acker / The Washington Post (Getty Images)

Illinois could become the next U.S. state to offer digital driver’s licenses. As smartphones become more commonplace across the entire population, digital debit and credit card payment applications have gone from a convenient alternative to an actual replacement for some people. The growing normalcy for handheld technology in our everyday lives has now created a demand to digitize another card in our wallets, our driver’s license.

In case you missed it:

HB1110 would create a digital driver’s license in Illinois. WCIA reports that the bill is currently making its way through the Illinois General Assembly after being unanimously approved by a House committee. HB1100 would allow a digital driver’s license to be used in place of a physical card, not abandoning physical licenses. The bill specifies the license’s smartphone app can’t cost more than $6. The proposal also states that displaying a digital license to a police officer does not give consent for the officer to search through your smartphone.

While there is a lot of momentum to modernize driver identification and license, there is also opposition. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police is concerned about the potential security risks. Digital licenses in other countries have been susceptible to hacking and forgery. Kenny Winslow. the association’s executive director, told WCIA, “We just want to proceed with caution, ensure that we take the appropriate measures to ensure that they’re secured, they’re valid, and that they can’t be hacked.”

Illinois isn’t the first American state to consider a digital option for driver’s licenses. According to FedTech, three states currently offer digital driver’s licenses. Arizona and Colorado drivers must have an iPhone with Apple Wallets to use a digital license. Maryland is the only state in the union to offer a digital license on both Apple and Android devices.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer a driver’s license that doesn’t have a battery that can die. I can see convenient uses for digital licenses, like if I lose my physical card and need a temporary replacement before I’m able to get my new license.