Apple Introduces Digital ID in Wallet

This week, Apple took a significant step in privacy and data protection by launching support for digital IDs in Apple Wallet. Users can now store a considerable amount of personal data securely on their devices.

Apple highlights that “Biometric authentication with Face ID and Touch ID ensures that only you can see and use your digital ID.” That sounds pretty reassuring, right?

To take advantage of Digital ID, users must meet several requirements:

• Have an iPhone 11 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later.
• Be running the latest software version.
• Possess an Apple account with two-factor authentication enabled.
• Hold a valid US passport.
• Have devices set to the United States region.

Once these conditions are satisfied, users will need to scan their passport and provide another live photo. All submitted information has to be authenticated through Face ID or Touch ID.

According to Apple, users can show their digital documents at TSA checkpoints and at select businesses when boarding domestic flights.

Interestingly, the TSA supports digital ID in at least 16 states for air travel, including Arizona, California, Colorado, and a few others, among others. However, some states like Arkansas and New York only recognize state-issued IDs.

Apple asserts that “Apple Wallet’s digital ID leverages the privacy and security features already built into iPhone and Apple Watch to protect it from tampering and theft.” Additionally, the company claims that data is encrypted and that it cannot track usage of the digital ID.

This overarching rationale for digital IDs — focusing on enhanced privacy and security — reflects similar reasoning adopted by the UK government when they recently mandated digital IDs for their citizens.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer remarked that by the end of this Parliament, they will make digital IDs mandatory for the right to work. He argues that it’s necessary to tackle issues surrounding illegal employment and immigration.

Digital ID discussions pinpoint back to about 2004 in the UK. The BBC then critiqued such initiatives as poorly conceived strategies to combat organized crime and terrorism. Since then, this dialogue has been pushed forward by the World Economic Forum, which released a “Blueprint for Digital Identity” in 2016 to promote social inclusion through various identification programs.

I’d say it’s quite a mixed bag of thought around digital IDs—on one hand, they promise better security, but on the other, they raise questions about surveillance and personal freedoms. The conversation is far from settled, and it seems like we’re just beginning to scratch the surface.