Proposed legislation to establish a mobile ID system in Illinois has been endorsed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
The bill would enable the Secretary of State to issue a mobile-based state ID or driver’s license to anyone who is eligible to hold physical versions of the credentials. The digital credentials would have the advantage of greater privacy than physical documents, allowing holders to selectively share relevant information with requesting parties. For example, a consumer could use the mobile ID to verify that they are of age to buy alcohol without having to share irrelevant information like their home address.
The legislation would also let Illinoisans make changes to their personal information remotely, without having to visit government offices in person, thus reducing wait times at those offices.
“Smartphones have become convenient places to store everything from movie tickets, boarding passes and credit cards,” said Giannoulias. “With technological advancements and additional safeguards to make it the most secure and state-of-the-art system in the nation, we’re confident Illinoisans will soon have the option to ‘carry’ a digital version of their driver’s license or state ID.”
The bill allows the Secretary of State to contract with agencies of Illinois, other states, the federal government, or private third parties to issue, use, and verify the mobile credentials.
The proposed legislation is similar to HB 2792/SB 2661 in Tennessee, which was also put forward at the end of January. Both states’ proposed bills seek to introduce innovative, digital ID systems as complements to physical IDs, and to ensure that they come with certain privacy protections for citizens.
Introduced by Rep. Kam Buckner earlier this year, Illinois’s House Bill 4592 was referred to the House Rules Committee at the end of January, and added co-sponsor Rep. Michael Kelly this week.
Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Illinois General Assembly
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February 29, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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