The digital convenience that has conquered nearly every realm of commerce, from food delivery to car buying, made a massive leap in its slow infiltration of government bureaucracy. Apple announced on Monday that a TSA-approved version of Digital ID will be available on Apple Wallet this fall. The enthusiasm for the new feature was paired with a wave of misinformation on how this identification could be used in practice. It should also be noted that Digital ID opens the possibility of a TSA officer invading your privacy.
The announcement during the tech giant’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference immediately provoked excitement across the internet from Apple fans who believed they could now use their iPhones as a digital passport, despite Apple stating otherwise. Kathy Lin, Apple’s Manager of Services Software Engineering, explained, “While not a replacement for your physical passport, Digital ID can be used for domestic travel at supported TSA checkpoints, in apps and in person where age and identity verification are required.”
To reiterate, you will not be able to use a Digital ID as a passport for any international flight. This might sound basic, but people have tried to use their Costco membership card to get through TSA. Digital ID is solely for domestic travel, so any Real ID-compliant driver’s license would be sufficient to get through security. Digital ID would likely be used most when booking a ticket or checking in through an airline’s mobile app, where Apple Wallet would pre-fill identity verification information on your behalf, like your passport ID number.
Be wary of ever handling over your phone to the TSA
The TSA Digital ID rollout on Apple Wallet is the latest step in the wholesale digitalization of government identification. According to the agency, 14 states and Puerto Rico offer digital driver’s licenses through various platforms. While Android users already had access to the TSA’s Digital ID through Google Wallet, its introduction to Apple products will likely bring a new flood of forgetful travellers looking for a digital backup for their physical passport. These users should be wary of keeping their phones in their possession at all times around TSA officers.
Interactions are designed to be non-contact, with a barcode scanner or NFC reader used to get the necessary information from your phone. However, if you hand over your device unlocked, there is precedent that a law enforcement officer could search your phone. Multiple court cases decided that the action is deemed a consent search despite neither verbal nor written consent being given. This is something that Apple didn’t take into consideration when it introduced a digital California driver’s license last year because the device needed to be unlocked to show identification. I’d only recommend using any digital ID as a last resort. Just stick to the physical copies because a driver’s license can’t share your location data.