Florida’s digital drivers license app launches, but not fully online yet

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Cap News Services) – Florida has been working on creating a digital driver’s license since 2014 but has been hampered by a lack of national standards until now.

A new secure app became available Wednesday morning, but won’t be fully turned on until mid-November.

State Representative Fiona McFarland said if it had come online sooner, the application could have saved the state millions in unemployment claims.

“It was difficult to show that the person applying for unemployment benefits was who they said they were and there were some different hacks and spoofs that happened. And if this mobile drivers license had been in place, it would have been a fantastic way to identify that the applicant was who they said they were,” said McFarland.

An education campaign for drivers and law enforcement will launch soon.

Drivers must consent for the digital information to be transmitted to police or merchants checking IDs.

While the rollout is coming soon, the state will be taking baby steps to make sure the app is secure and that police have the equipment to receive the device’s information without ever having to hold your phone.