The new iPhone feature that could make wallets obsolete
Apple has taken a significant step towards transforming how users manage their identification with the introduction of its new “Digital ID” feature. Announced recently, this innovation allows users to store a digital version of their passport within the Wallet app on their iPhone or Apple Watch. This feature is particularly noteworthy as it enables travelers to present their Digital ID at TSA security checkpoints in 250 airports across the United States, streamlining the travel experience. Moreover, it has the potential to serve as a comprehensive authentication tool for various apps and websites requiring age verification, further integrating digital identification into everyday life.
The implementation of Digital ID mirrors the functionality of Apple Pay, requiring users to photograph their physical passport, scan its embedded chip, and complete a facial recognition process. The verification of the user’s identity is conducted by the issuing government authority, ensuring a secure process that typically takes only a few minutes. Once verified, users can conveniently access their Digital ID at TSA checkpoints without needing to hand over their devices, as the information is transmitted securely via an encrypted connection. Apple emphasizes that all data is stored locally on the device, enhancing user privacy by preventing unauthorized access from the company itself.
While the convenience of Digital ID is evident, it raises important questions about security and privacy. Advocates for digital identification highlight the potential for increased efficiency and ease of use, as evidenced by the growing adoption of digital wallets—nearly half of U.S. adults have utilized one in recent months. However, privacy concerns linger, particularly regarding the frequency with which personal data might be shared with third parties. Critics argue that the rapid introduction of digital IDs may outpace necessary regulatory safeguards, increasing the risk of cybercrime and data misuse. As society moves closer to a future where physical wallets may become obsolete, the balance between convenience and security will be crucial in shaping the acceptance of digital identification.
Apple users are one step closer to being able to viably travel around the country with nothing but an iPhone in their pocket.
On Wednesday, the company
announced “Digital ID,”
a new feature that lets users store a mobile version of their passport in the Wallet app. Once uploaded, iPhone and Apple Watch users can present their Digital ID to pass through TSA security checkpoints at 250 airports in the US. The feature may also soon serve as a one-stop authentication tool for accessing an increasing number of apps and websites
requiring age verification
.
With the addition of Digital ID, Apple users can store digital versions of passports,
driver’s licenses
,
credit cards
, and even
car keys
in the app. Similar efforts from
Google
and
others
means mobile devices may play an even more central role in daily life. That may come as a welcome change for some, but it also introduces thorny, unresolved questions around security and privacy.
Turning a phone into an ID
Digital ID works similarly to
Apple Pay
. To upload passport details, users first need to use their phone to take a photo of their physical passport. They are then prompted to scan the chip located on the back of the passport book. Next, the app asks the user to take a selfie and complete several head movements, similar to the process of setting up facial recognition to unlock the device.
A still frame from that video is sent to the government issuer, who checks whether the image matches the one on file.This process appears to be mostly automated but
Apple notes
there are circumstances where a human reviewer from an issuing authority may request additional details. In this case, it’s the government, not Apple, that verifies the ID. Apple says the verification process typically takes just a few minutes.
Once verified, a traveler passing through a TSA security checkpoint can hold their device near a reader, which automatically pulls up the Wallet app. Apple then asks for a selfie to ensure the person holding the device is its actual owner. (This should prevent people from accessing your ID information if they steal your phone.) Once authorized, the iPhone or Apple Watch establishes a direct, end-to-end encrypted connection with the reader to transfer the requested data. Apple says all Digital ID information is stored locally on a user’s device, meaning Apple can’t access the data even if it wanted to. And because the process connects wirelessly to the reader, users don’t have to physically hand their device to a TSA agent or law enforcement officer to verify their identity.
Digital ID can be used to pass through TSA airport checkpoints and to verify identity on age-baited websites.
Image: Apple
When using Digital ID for online age verification, apps that require proof of identity will present users with a consent sheet outlining the specific information being requested, such as date of birth. Once authorized, the Apple device transmits an encrypted payload containing the approved data to the app or website. Apple says this payload includes a digital signature from the Digital ID card’s issuing authority, which ultimately verifies the user’s identity. In theory, Digital ID could serve as a kind of “passport” for the web.
“Digital ID brings this secure and convenient option to even more users across the country, as they can now add an ID to Wallet using information from their U.S. passport,” Apple Vice President of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet Jennifer Bailey
said in a statement
.
Digital ID isn’t available to everyone. The feature only works on iPhone models 11 or later. Devices must also be running iOS 16.1 or newer and have Face ID, Touch ID, and two-factor authentication enabled. It also won’t be available to all travelers. For now, physical passports are still required for international travel and border crossings. Even in places where it is accepted, it’s probably wise to have the physical copy accessible. Users also notably can’t make changes to or renew their passport through the device; for that, they’ll still need to contact the document’s issuing authority.
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Digital IDs are convenient. But are they safe?
Digital services from both Apple and Google may soon make physical wallets feel like relics. As of this writing, licenses and passports stored on iPhones can be used in 25 states and at TSA checkpoints in 250 U.S. airports. These efforts build on the growing success of digital wallets as payment platforms. Globally, Capital One
estimates
around 4.3 billion people have used digital wallets. In the U.S., a March 2024
report
from J.D. Power found that nearly half (48 percent) of adults used a digital wallet in the past three months.
And while digital versions of driver’s licenses and state IDs are relatively new, early data suggests they’re being met with similar enthusiasm. Public records
obtained by
Government Technology
show that, as of March 2024, at least five million people had signed up for mobile driver’s licenses across 11 states.
But not everyone agrees that’s a good thing. Though digital forms of cards and IDs are certainly convenient, some privacy advocates worry their rapid introduction is outpacing well-thought-out regulatory safeguards. There’s also concern that these systems could increase how often people share sensitive information with third parties, which in turn raises the risk of cybercrimes.
Writing in a
blog post
, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Director of Engineering Alexis Hancock notes the average person might take out their physical driver’s license or passport only a few times a week. Digital IDs, by contrast, could “expand the scenarios” in which businesses and government agencies request personal information, especially if used for age verification purposes.
“Our personal data will be passed at more frequent rates than ever, via frequent online verification of identity per day or week with multiple parties,”
Hancock said
. “This privacy menace far surpasses the minor danger of a bar bouncer collecting, storing, and using your name and address after glancing at your birth-date on your plastic ID for 5 seconds in passing.”
Other critics have
expressed concern
that these digital ID systems, which are pitched primarily for their convenience factor, could become so widely used that they are made mandatory, which presents accessibility concerns for those who either don’t own a mobile device or who are uncomfortable using them.
But, if recent tech history is any guide, it’s usually not a winning strategy to bet against convenience. Chunky wallets, in other words, may be on their way out.
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The new iPhone feature that could make wallets obsolete
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