Driving licences are about to go digital and a new framework to bring the UK ‘into the 2020s’ is set to be launched – but they won’t be mandatory.
Digital driving licences are launching this year in a major government ID upgrade that would affect millions of Brits. It is said the popular form of ID, which ultimately proves you can drive, and shows who you are for age restricted purchases, will soon be available on your phone via the government app – not through Google/Apple wallet like your bank card.
It could potentially solve the daily struggle of using the supermarket self-check-out and waiting for staff to confirm you’re old enough to buy an energy drink. It would prove useful for those times where you’ve forgotten to bring your physical cards. Reports suggest a feature may also allow users to hide their address in certain situations, such as if they’re buying drinks in a bar.
The drastic upgrade, which ministers hope will ‘drag government into the 2020s’, will be completely voluntary and physical provisional and driving licences will still be issued, it has been widely reported. A source ‘familiar with the plans’ was cited in The Times stating: “This is not about replacing the photocard but giving people the option of having their licence on their phone and allowing them a new way to prove their identity and age. The photocard, be it a provisional or full licence, is the main form of ID used in the UK and this will be an extension of that.”
The publication added that a ‘product launch’ unveiling the news will be announced next week in London. If the UK debuts such a scheme, it will join the likes of Denmark, Iceland and Norway – who have long championed digital versions of their licences via a smartphone app.
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In a statement sent to the Mirror, a government spokesperson said: “This government is committed to using technology to make people’s lives easier and transform public services. Technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory.”
The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s website states the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) has developed a set of rules called the ‘UK digital identity and attributes trust frame work’, which draws on existing guidance, standards and best practice for trustworthy and secure digital identity services. This covers topics such as how users will be protected from ID fraud and addresses privacy concerns. You can read more about this here.
Do you think it’s time digital ID was accepted? Have your say in the comments section below
