Should We Digitize Driver's Licenses? Iowa Residents Will Soon Have That Option
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— As mobile payment options such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet are trying to make credit cards a thing of the past, is carrying around a physical wallet a bit antiquated at this point?
Many legal documents, such as proof of car insurance can now be contained within a smart phone.
Soon, Iowa residents will have the option to have their driver's license on their phone as well.
Roger Entner, a telecom analyst from Recon Analytics, says mobile payments is not a trend that's happening overnight.
"We're changing the behavior of consumers," he said. "I would compare it with how many people are using a watch."
Entner said the convenience of not having to print out paper tickets helps the momentum of this type of technology.
Should We Digitize Driver's Licenses? Iowa Residents Will Soon Have That Option
"The moment it comes to government I.D., I think we have to take a step back and really have to think about what we're doing, because very often when a police officer stops us as a traffic stop they want to take the I.D. back to their car. We might not always want to surrender our cell phone to give it to the police officer and let them have it in their car."
Enter cited a few lawsuits where cell phone privacy was significantly strengthened.
"The moment you surrender the device, you are probably giving the police officer an implicit permission to access your device and [for them] to look at everything on it. I don't think we should always do that."
He makes the point that with a status quo, routine traffic stop, the person pulled over gives them the information on their I.D. only and not the treasure trove of information that the smartphone has become.
