DIGITAL ID: Arkansas drivers can now add a digital version of their licence or state ID to their smartphone
By Sarah Clark
Residents of the US state of Arkansas are now able to add a digital version of their driver’s license or state ID to their smartphone and then use their digital ID to verify their identity to participating businesses and venues as well as law enforcement agencies and, soon, for air travel.
“The Arkansas Mobile ID is a contactless, highly secure, state-approved credential that resides on a smartphone,” the state’s Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) says. “It can be presented at participating businesses and venues as a valid form of ID.”
“The State of Arkansas is currently working with TSA,” it adds. “Approval for the Arkansas Mobile ID to board a flight is anticipated for this summer.”
“The state anticipates the list of organizations and businesses that accept Mobile ID will increase over time. A free resource, the Mobile ID Verify app, is available to any business or law enforcement organization and can be used to confirm an individual with an Arkansas Mobile ID.”
“The Mobile ID puts users in control of what information they share,” the DFA explains. “For example, when making an age-restricted purchase, users can prove their age without disclosing any unnecessary information, including an address.”
“My administration is working to make Arkansas government more efficient at every level,” Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders says. “The rollout of a secure mobile ID will help Arkansans access their documents when and where they need them and brings state government in line with 21st century technology.”
“Arkansans will now have quick and easy access to their driver’s license or ID on their cell phone,” Jim Hudson, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, adds.
“I encourage Arkansans to take advantage of this free resource as they can control who their information is shared with from the license or ID. It empowers the citizen and ensures a state-issued credential is consistently accessible.”
