Illinois is on the verge of high-tech highway legitimacy as lawmakers have sent a bill to Governor J.B. Pritzker that could put mobile driver's licenses in the palms of residents. According to the Chicago Tribune, this digital shift, backed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, passed both the Senate and House without opposition, paving the way for motorists to keep driver’s licenses and state IDs on their smartphones.
Despite the push for progress, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois sounded alarms on privacy and security. "We would have liked some additional specific statutory language that would create a consequence if law enforcement used the mobile ID as a pretext to access someone’s phone, in violation of the usual protections around unlawful search and seizure," ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka told the Tribune. Critics are also wary of potential business discrimination and risks in data collection and storage. Under the proposed law, however, cops would still need to see a physical ID upon request.
Joining a list of at least 10 other states, Illinois is looking at a maximum charge of $6 for the app required to display the digital license, as stated by NBC Chicago.
The digital IDs would be recognized broadly, with the exception of certain situations where traditional IDs are still king. Discussions about working out the kinks for implementation and enforcement are underway, with no timeline yet for when mobile IDs will become public. Civil liberties advocates, while supportive of technological advancement, remain concerned about the threshold for law enforcement to search phones without proper consent. The bill ensures that law enforcement cannot use the mobile ID as a grounds to go through other content on the phones.
While the future of identification in Illinois is going digital, officials from the TSA still recommend having physical ID cards handy, especially when flying. As state officials navigate this tech transition, the eyes of privacy watchdogs and the needs of a modernizing society will no doubt remain tightly intertwined.
