TheCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has recognized seven tech teams that took part in its first community hackathon, focused on expanding the use of the California mobile driver’s license (mDL).
More than 50 participants representing leading private-sector businesses and innovators participated in the hackathon, held earlier this month in Mountain View.
The mDL, stored in Google Wallet and the California DMV Wallet app, is accepted as a valid form of identification at certain retail locations and by the TSA at many airports. The DMV is making ongoing efforts to broaden acceptance of the mDL. It is not currently a substitute for a driver’s license, the DMV has noted — drivers must still carry a physical license.
In the hackathon, “Teams presented a range of use cases designed to enhance secure, privacy-focused digital identity solutions using the California mDL,” according to a DMV news release. “The hackathon highlighted the versatility and potential of mDLs in various industries, from financial services to retail, and showcased proposals addressing privacy and security, user experience, and social impact.”
Each of the teams presented a use case designed to answer a specific need,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “We were impressed by the innovative solutions presented by the teams. Their efforts underscore the mDL’s potential to empower Californians to verify their identity in a safe and privacy-conscious way. These use cases demonstrate how mDL technology can impact both the private and public sectors to the benefit of their customers.”
The following teams were recognized at the event for their outstanding contributions:
Most Compelling and Most Socially Impactful (Team Entidad): Integrating mDL for nonprofits to reach and enroll underserved community members into social benefits programs
Most Promising (Team Cisco VC Verifiers): Using mDL as a root digital identity to enable passwordless authentication
Best Privacy and Security Design (Team Block): Leveraging mDL for point-of-sale age verification of age-restricted products sold by Square merchants
Most Scalable (Team US Bank): Implementing mDL for in-person identity verification at bank branches, specifically for high-risk transactions
Best User Experience (Team UltraPass): mDL, combined with encrypted biometric authentication, to streamline account creation for new users and help businesses prevent users from creating duplicate accounts
Best Presentation (Team MATTR — MATTR, Samsung, Treez, Nuvei): mDL for identity and age verification in cannabis dispensary and delivery services
Best Independent Submission (Team UFI): Integrating mDL into existing identity and access management systems
“The hackathon, co-hosted by the OpenID Foundation, demonstrated the increasing acceptance of mDL technology and its potential to provide Californians with a convenient, secure, and privacy-protecting identity verification option and businesses an effective way to reduce fraud and improve operational efficiency,” the DMV release said. “The DMV plans to continue exploring mDL’s potential through future events, including a second hackathon scheduled for Nov. 1 in Sacramento, which will focus on public sector applications. Local, state, federal and international government entities will participate in this event.”
The DMV’s mDL pilot, available through the California DMV Wallet app, is growing in popularity, with more than 780,000 Californians already participating. For more information on how to enroll, visit https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/ca-dmv-wallet.
Expanding its digital services is among the goals of the DMV. The department's strategic plan can be found here.
DMV Recognizes Tech Teams’ Use Cases for Mobile Driver’s Licenses
“We were impressed by the innovative solutions presented by the teams,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “Their efforts underscore the mDL’s potential to empower Californians to verify their identity in a safe and privacy-conscious way.”
