According to a recent announcement from Apple, citizens of Maryland may now keep their state ID or driver’s license in the Apple Wallet app. After Arizona launched the new function in March, the state is now the second in the nation to do so. Maryland residents will be able to use their iPhone or Apple Watch to show their ID at specific TSA Security checkpoints at nearby airports after loading it into Apple Wallet. These new digital IDs will first be supported by the TSA Security checkpoints at Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Maryland residents must first hit the addition “+” button at the top of the iPhone app’s screen, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and then follow the on-screen instructions to begin the setup and verification procedure before they can begin loading a supported ID into the Apple Wallet app. After snapping a selfie and scanning the front and back of the person’s current driver’s license or state ID card, the person is authenticated. During the setup procedure, users are required to perform a series of face and head motions as part of an extra fraud prevention step. The user must swivel their head to the side to see the camera view that the app will display.
This is a typical method used by digital services to confirm that a person is in fact real and that the user hasn’t staged a photo in an attempt to commit fraud. These scans and the user’s photo are securely given to the issuing state for verification, as Apple has described. Apple also transmits a numeric signal to express its confidence that the ID being presented belongs to the person who is presenting it. As asked during verification, it does not provide the video of the subject moving their head.
Like when you add a new credit card, consumers will be informed when their ID is ready for use in Wallet. The entire approval procedure often just takes a few minutes. The ID may then be used with the new identity readers on iPhone or Apple Watch at TSA checkpoints that support them. The desired information is digitally released from the device after being authorized using Face ID or Touch ID. Users are not required to provide a TSA agent their phone or watch.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a statement regarding the debut, saying, “Maryland is thrilled to be a leader in safe innovation with the deployment of Maryland Mobile ID in Apple Wallet.” As we look to the future, we are dedicated to improving accessibility and convenience while upholding the greatest standards of safety and security for our state and its residents.
The Maryland Mobile ID, as the state is referring to the new digital ID, is the sole type of mobile phone-based identity issued by MDOT MVA, according to the news release. The digital ID may only be used in conjunction with a physical, plastic driver’s license or ID that was issued by the state of Maryland and is only accessible to those who already possess one. To put it another way, using the feature will prevent Marylanders from forgoing a trip to their neighborhood MDOT MVA office to get a license or ID. MDOT MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer said the state anticipates that more locations will start to accept this mobile ID in the future, but for the time being, just a few TSA checkpoints will take it.
