Digital drivers licenses appeared again in the news in NSW recently, mentioning a current trial in VIC?/SA? I thought I would leave my license on my lock screen but apparently it has to be displayed in a MyGov or MyServiceNSW app or similar. Its scary to me that I may be forced to hand my unlocked phone to a cop to take back to his car and do who-knows-what with it.
What does everyone think of this? Have any civil rights groups expressed concern? Is it likely there’ll be a technology solution to showing the license app without the rest of your phone being accessible?
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I totally agree! I wouldn’t have a problem with displaying the license using the phone, but I would not be prepared to hand it over.
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I would say from a security perspective, it would be extremely silly for police to just trust what’s displayed on the screen, because of the problem of verifying authenticity of the app.
It would make more sense if the app displayed a QR code containing your information, along with a QR code that changes every 30 seconds or so for verification of information authenticity.
Alternatively you could use NFC.
However my main issue with all the above, is what happens if your phone runs out of battery?
By the way, what’s your thought about how Estonia is doing egov? They supply everyone with a smartcard so you can do everything online.
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I think digital licences are not required. People can still use the non-digital ones. The phone may run out of battery or you simply might not have a phone in the first place.