DIGITAL DRIVING LICENSES TO BE ROLL OUT IN CHINA BY 2022

Wed 18 August 2021:

China will adopt digital driving licenses nationwide in 2022, according to Li Guozhong, a spokesperson for the Chinese public security ministry. Digital driving licenses are now accessible as a trial program in only three locations.

“The Ministry of Public Security has started to issue digital driving licenses in Tianjin, Chengdu and Suzhou within the pilot program. Since June 1 this year, 1.

95 million people have already applied for obtaining digital licenses,” Li said.

In the second half of this year, the ministry will begin issuing digital licenses in several other regions, with the entire country becoming available in 2022. To receive digital licenses, drivers will need to register through a special app.

Digital licenses will have the same legal weight as physical licenses, the spokesperson specified.

Digital IDs

Apple announced in June this year, that, by this fall, its Wallet App will be expanded to include digital IDs from participating states.

Meanwhile, New York State is working with IBM on the possibility of expanding its Excelsior Pass vaccine passport system to include driver’s licenses, according to a New York Times report. The federal government is also on board with the concept.

In April, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it was looking for input on upcoming rules for mobile digital driver’s licenses.

Apple isn’t the first or only major tech company trying to bring digital IDs to smartphones. Google has also been working on a system for a digital driver’s license, and last fall, the company detailed new privacy and security standards for developers to handle identity documents on mobile devices.

IBM has also been researching digital driver’s licenses and expressed enthusiasm for how they might rely on blockchain technology.

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