California Gov. Gavin Newsom promised in his January state budget presentation a “next level” digital identification system allowing residents to access their drivers’ licenses on their smartphones. “We're going to do it like no other state has done it,” he said at the time.
And the advent of a digital ID, something that has swept through several states already, appears close for a portion of residents of the Golden State. Ajay Gupta, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, said the digital ID should be available to up to 170,000 people in the late summer as part of the initial pilot.
Legislation would be required to increase the number of residents eligible for the digital ID beyond that initial 170,000, Gupta added, as it is still considered to be a pilot project. Initially, the digital ID will be available for use at some airports. It also will be accepted in convenience stores to allow people to verify their age when buying certain products, with more use cases to follow, including online ones.