The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to offer Hoosiers an optional mobile driver’s license within the next 18 months.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports BMV General Counsel Matt Kestian outlined the plan Wednesday before the legislature’s Interim Study Committee on Roads and Transportation.
The digital license would not replace a physical license. Instead, it would allow users to verify their age or identity through a mobile app.
Kestian said the option could provide more privacy by allowing someone to confirm they are old enough to buy alcohol or tobacco without also showing their home address and other personal information found on a physical license.
The app would use a face scan or fingerprint to confirm the user’s identity. Information could then be shared with a mobile license reader in a process similar to using a tap-to-pay card.
Lawmakers also asked whether the technology could be used to track where someone goes or what they purchase. Kestian said the system is being designed so the BMV would not have that information. He also said police officers would not need to take possession of someone’s phone during a traffic stop.
The mobile option would also be available for learner’s permits and state-issued identification cards.
