DVLA reveals plans for smartphone driving licence
Motorists could soon store digital licence on their mobile devices
The DVLA has revealed it is working on a smartphone based digital driving licence after a prototype was revealed by the authority's chief executive Oliver Morley on Twitter.
The teaser uses an iPhone as an example and shows a card resembling the current licence stored away in the Apple Wallet – an app many already use to store boarding passes, tickets and credit cards for ApplePay.
The move is indicative of the "significant" steps forward in mobile security, as phones can now store credit and debit card information, and support secure digital payments, analyst Ben Wood told the BBC. A "framework" is now in place for the digital licences.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"There are not many people in the UK who do not carry a smartphone with them every day, so it is a logical next step", he said
Last year, the paper counterpart driving licence was scrapped as part of a Government drive to reduce red tape. According to Auto Express, the DVLA says that ridding drivers of the counterpart licence has made this latest project possible.
The licence we've been left with since the death of the counterpart won't become obsolete though – the DVLA says that the digital licence will complement the current plastic cards rather than replace them outright, but there's currently no timeframe in place as to when the digital roll-out will begin.
The Mail says that digitalisation of key personal documents will eventually go beyond the driving licence too, one day extending to your passport. Earlier this year, De La Rue – the company responsible for making British banknotes and passports – announced their intention to digitalise the document so it can be stored on a smartphone.
Boarding passes are already available on mobile devices, so it could mean that all you'll need to board a plane in the near future is your device. The paperless passport is still in development and the company is "finding ways" to make the digital document secure enough to be accepted by governments.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube – a 'raw' and 'riveting' docuseries
The Week Recommends Channel 4's 'gripping' two-part show explores the Metropolitan police killing of an innocent man in the aftermath of 7/7
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
'Salute to those who served'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Europe's all-inclusive holiday trend
The Week Recommends Big US chains are capitalising on the 'recent surge' in package breaks to bring upscale resorts to Europe
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Phubbing: a marriage-wrecking habit?
Talking Point New study says couples are avoiding talking to each other by looking at their phones - but was it ever thus?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The arguments for and against universal chargers
Pros and Cons European Commission pushing to establish USB-C as standard for all phones
By The Week Published
-
How cybercriminals are hacking into the heart of the US economy
Speed Read Ransomware attacks have become a global epidemic, with more than $18.6bn paid in ransoms in 2020
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Language-learning apps speak the right lingo for UK subscribers
Speed Read Locked-down Brits turn to online lessons as a new hobby and way to upskill
By Mike Starling Published
-
Brexit-hobbled Britain ‘still tech powerhouse of Europe’
Speed Read New research shows that UK start-ups have won more funding than France and Germany combined over past year
By Mike Starling Published
-
Playing Cupid during Covid: Tinder reveals Britain’s top chat-up lines of the year
Speed Read Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dominic Cummings among most talked-about celebs on the dating app
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
Brits sending one less email a day would cut carbon emissions by 16,000 tonnes
Speed Read UK research suggests unnecessary online chatter increases climate change
By Joe Evans Published