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The Sydney Morning Herald reports that two Australian States now allow citizens to choose to have a licence issued in digital format and have it displayed on their smartphones.
New South Wales citizens are now finally able to display their driver's licence on their phones and use it as a form of ID at licenced premises.
But if you have a cracked screen, it may not get accepted because a clear screen is required for it to be used as valid ID; your phone must also be fully charged so that you can show your licence.
[...] The Service NSW app, which enables people to display their ID on iPhone and Android smartphones, was updated about 12pm on Monday for all NSW citizens to add their driver's licence.
Until now, only about 20,000 citizens in trial areas that included Sydney's eastern suburbs, Albury, and Dubbo were able to make use of a digital driver's licence.
[...] "Always carry your plastic card if you know you're going to need your driver licence, or if you plan to travel interstate. Ensure your phone screen is not cracked and your phone is charged," Service NSW warns. "It ... may take some time before all organisations will be ready to accept" the digital app.
While the licence is expected to be accepted at most venues, the state government is reminding people to still carry their plastic card "to avoid inconvenience", as some venues in NSW or other states and countries may not accept it as a valid form of ID.It's also reminding people to not use their phones while driving or riding when asked for ID and that you do not have to hand over your unlocked phone in order for it to be verified by people such as security guards or police officers.
"You don't have to hand over your phone. You may be asked to refresh your licence, by pulling down and releasing," the Service NSW app says.
Anyone want to put more information on their phone?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by jasassin on Tuesday October 29 2019, @06:04AM (7 children)
It'll be a cold day in he'll when I install a government app on my phone!
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 29 2019, @06:40AM
Dude, you already have a smartphone. That by itself is enough for the government to know your location and spy on your voice.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 29 2019, @06:42AM (2 children)
It is worse than you think. In my state, they also allow electronic proof of insurance. A buddy of mine had that and the officer wanted to take his unlocked phone back to his car to run the insurance. My buddy, thinking fast, set the lock screen image to a screen shot of the app. Now imagine if he had the State ID App on his phone too. Now he wouldn't be able to lock it, so the police can switch between insurance and ID. You are handing the police your unlocked phone for a minimum of five minutes where you can't keep track of what they are doing with it. Make you wonder how much evidence, among other things, they will "accidentally" see when switching through apps on your phone.
(Score: 4, Informative) by pkrasimirov on Tuesday October 29 2019, @09:35AM (1 child)
Showing the ID on the phone =/= handing over the phone. At least in my country there is a clear written difference in the law. It says "show your id", not "give your id". Even more, it clearly says "never give or lend your id document to anyone for any reason and always carry it with you".
Of course this is not respected and the policemen grab the id the moment they see it. It is part of a power game. For example on traffic stop they hold the id and/or driving license as a hostage until they are satisfied and allow the car to go.
But maybe in Australia this can be resisted? Like, "no, officer, I do not consent to give you my id/phone, you can look at it it as long as you want but it does not leave my hands". Then again the phone might run out of juice and the holder will be at wrong.
(Score: 2) by pipedwho on Tuesday October 29 2019, @09:57AM
There is a procedure for using the App to display your ID. The officer is allowed to use their phone/whatever to scan the picture on the App which includes a QR code that changes every few seconds. The phone should never leave your hands.
It also mentions not to play with your phone until you're asked for the ID by the officer.
But, Australian police are similar to cops everywhere in overstepping their proscribed boundaries, so people need to be aware.
(Score: 3, Informative) by pipedwho on Tuesday October 29 2019, @10:18AM (1 child)
The App doesn't ask for any permissions (on the iPhone at least) until you try to use it to scan another license (to verify it) and then it asks to use the camera (but that is only necessary if you're a bouncer/shop keep/etc and want to verify the authenticity of the license being shown to you).
The App also requires a 4 digit pin (which can be overridden with touch/face ID if you allow it to be when setting up the PIN).
The biggest gripe is that within an hour of enabling the option in the App the web service was so overloaded that it still can't process requests 12 hours later. That means huge numbers of people love this option and want to enable it by having it download their license.
This is no real reduction in your personal privacy/security for a few reasons (assuming you already have a mobile phone):
1) The government already has all this information anyway, and people using this App would also likely show their plastic license card to an officer anyway.
2) The App does not try to track you as it doesn't ask for location services (on iPhone at least anyway).
3) If someone steals your wallet, they get your license details and other cards. If someone steals your phone, they need to get past the front end security of the phone, and then the PIN in the App.
4) One less thing to carry around and lose. Most people are so glued to their phone, that it is always with them, and therefore less likely to get left behind or lost.
On the public transport system here in NSW, you can now use the Apple Pay option in iPhone to 'tap on' and 'tap off' the busses, trains and ferries. So theoretically, it is now possible to go our on the town with nothing but your phone for ID, payment, transport, messaging, and to make calls (assuming people still do that). Although, it's probably a good idea to make sure the phone battery has sufficient charge, otherwise you'll need to borrow a charger to get back home.
(Score: 4, Informative) by MostCynical on Tuesday October 29 2019, @10:27AM
The digital driver's licence ...has suffered from an outage under immense load following its launch this week. [smh.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:44AM
Oh come on, what's wrong with MyGov?
When it's up..