Ohio becomes 5th state to allow digital identification

For Ohio residents, providing proof of ID just got easier.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced Wednesday that the state’s residents can now add their driver’s license or state identification card to their Apple Wallet. Ohio is the fifth state to offer the option of a digital ID card, following Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland.

Currently, the technology is only available for Apple iPhone users. The digital ID can be used at select businesses and Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints. It can also be used in select apps.

According to a video published by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the process can take less than a minute. All residents have to do is open their Apple Wallet, scan the front and back of their ID, and confirm their identity by taking a photo and video. The information is then submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles who needs to verify it.

The Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport is not one of the airports that accepts digital IDs yet, but Tim O’Donnell, the airport’s director, said he hopes they do eventually get the technology to scan them.

“I think it would be a great amenity for our customers to have everything in one place,” he said.

In addition to credit and debit cards, boarding passes and plane tickets can also be added to Apple Wallet.

Digital IDs can be used at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Before the Toledo Express Airport can accept them, TSA needs to bring in the infrastructure to scan them.

“I think it will make TSA’s job easier to validate someone’s identity and maybe speed up the process, make it faster,” Mr. O’Donnell said.

Mr. O’Donnell said he hadn’t added his digital ID yet but intends to do it soon.

Lindsey Bohrer, assistant communications director for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said the digital IDs will not replace the hard copy. Drivers still need to carry the hard copy while operating motorized vehicles.

“This is an entirely voluntary program, designed to offer convenience, privacy, and security to identity verification,” Ms. Bohrer wrote in an email. “There are no plans to eliminate plastic credentials.”

With credit cards, concert tickets, and now identification cards so easily accessible, security is an understandable concern, but Ahmad Javaid, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Toledo, said technically, digital wallets are pretty secure.

“Because the way these apps work, they send a very limited amount of information whenever they are being used,” Mr. Javaid said.

According to Apple, the only information the company has access to during the ID setup and verification process is a person’s name, address, date of birth, and the photo and video submitted to confirm their identity. This information is deleted from Apple’s servers after the state approves the ID.

Mr. Javaid uses his digital wallet and said as long as people take appropriate precautions, there is minimal risk.

“People have to make sure that they’re using the most secure form of authentication on their phones and making sure their phones are up to date,” he said.

Although digital IDs have been available in other states, as with any new technology, Mr. Javaid said there may be opportunities for cyber hacks.

“If a user is not trained properly, what might happen is they might actually get a call from someone pretending to be from Apple, saying that ‘Your Apple ID was hacked and in order to protect it, I need information from you,’” Mr. Javaid said. “You have to understand that Apple will never call you if your ID is hacked.”

To increase technology literacy, Mr. Javaid said it’s important that people get help directly from their phone producer, whether it’s Apple, Google, or Samsung. He also encouraged people to back up the information on their phone in case it gets lost.

But Mr. Javaid’s biggest piece of advice is to always keep the hard copy of every document.

“Using digital IDs, digital card payments, and all that, that is where the future is moving,” he said. “We don’t want to get left behind when society is moving forwards.”