Mobile IDs will change your interaction with governments
Once only a futuristic concept, mobile IDs have arrived and will fundamentally change the way governments and citizens interact. A mobile ID is a government-issued identification credential that is securely provisioned on to a citizen’s smartphone. A mobile phone can be used instead of or as a complement to a printed driver’s license or government ID card. These mobile IDs can be verified by authorized parties using a variety of devices including phones and tablets.
This technology is an absolute game-changer in the field of government identification for many reasons. We will focus on some of the top ten ways in which this breakthrough has the potential to affect the relationship between governments and its citizens.
- Smartphones are an integral part of people’s lives globally
By 2017, over a third of the world’s population is projected to own a smartphone (an estimated 2.6 billion users) according to Statista. This number is estimated to rise to 6.1 billion by 2020 according to Ericsson. Indicating that citizens will be relying on their smart devices to carry out an increasing number of transactions.
For citizens, a mobile smartphone containing their identification credentials can add additional layers of security to their identity document.
- An opportunity for expanded, personalized engagement
Mobile IDs make it possible for governments to have a closer relationship with citizens. Previously, interaction was limited to law enforcement, motor vehicle agencies or border patrol officials. Now the mobile ID improves personal interaction between citizens and government through remote services and communications.
Mobile IDs provide improved police-citizen interactions as officers have a greater ability to assess a situation before approaching the individual.
- Improved security to combat increasing identity threats
For citizens, a mobile smartphone containing their identification credentials can add additional layers of security to their identity document (e.g. PIN and password protection, biometrics or additional secure tokens). For law enforcement, the challenge of identifying identity documents from multiple jurisdictions can be reduced by the improved functionality afforded by secure devices.
Mobile IDs provide secure retrieval of real-time accident, crime or insurance information through a transaction initiated from a safe distance.
- More control over private information
With mobile IDs on a smartphone, citizens can control when and how much information is shared in a given situation. This allows for improved privacy protection. For example when a citizen is purchasing age-restricted goods like tobacco or alcohol, they only need to provide their photo and age — none of the other personal information usually loaded and freely readable on a physical driver’s license needs to be shared.
- Additional safeguards for law enforcement
In the case of law enforcement, the relationship between police and citizens often begins by answering the question: “Who is this citizen that I am approaching?” Mobile IDs provide secure retrieval of real-time accident, crime or insurance information through a transaction initiated from a safe distance. This may spell the future of improved police-citizen interactions, with officers potentially having greater ability to assess a situation before approaching the individual.
To find all The Top Ten Ways Mobile IDs Will Improve How Governments and Citizens Interact, download the full executive brief from the HID Global website.
By Rob Haslam, Vice President and Managing Director of Government ID Solutions at HID Global.
If you would like to learn more about HID’s Government-to-citizen mobile solution, HID goID™, visit the website.
About HID Global
HID Global is the trusted source for innovative products, services, solutions, and know-how related to the creation, management, and use of secure identities for millions of customers around the world. The company’s served markets include physical and logical access control, including strong authentication and credential management; card printing and personalization; visitor management systems; highly secure government and citizen ID; and identification RFID technologies used in animal ID and industry and logistics applications. The company’s primary brands include ActivID®, EasyLobby®, FARGO®, IdenTrust®, LaserCard®, Lumidigm®, Quantum Secure, and HID®. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global has over 2,200 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global® is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit the HID Global website.
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