Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

In Iowa, a Phone App Could Serve As Driver's License

Posted by timothy on from the search-incident-to-arrest dept.

New submitter dubner writes Simply hand the law enforcement officer your mobile phone. That's what you can do in Iowa rather than "digging through clutter in your glove compartment for an insurance card." And soon your driver's license will be available on your phone too, according to a story in the (Des Moines Register). Iowans will soon be able to use a mobile app on their smartphones as their official driver's license issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation. Some marvelous quotes in TFA: "The new app should be highly secure ... People will use a pin number for verification." And "Branstad (Iowa governor)... noted that even Iowa children are now working on digital development projects." A raft of excuses ("battery's dead") and security problems come to mind; how would you implement such a system?

6 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. Uh huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, that's one way for the police to get easy access to your phone without a warrant.

    1. Re:Uh huh by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 5, Insightful

      First of all, I would suggest that handing your phone to an officer would be the stupidest idea ever. However, there is a way to transfer the ID information to the police without handing the phone over, simply employ the NFC available on many (most??) smart phones. The officer would simply BUMP the phone and the record would be retrieved from DMV.

      There is no need to hand your phone over. Period.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    2. Re:Uh huh by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      and.... we're done here.

      (yes, this is obviously the motive; get people used to handing over their phones to cops, already unlocked.)

      they must think we are all stupid.

      (and I guess, with over half of us, they are probably right) ;(

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  2. Not to sound too paranoid by thunderdanp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does this sound like a convenient way for Police to have unfettered access to your phone, in light of Riley v. California?

  3. Have we reached peak app yet? by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously, I'm getting tired of the endless stream of apps.

    The world is an app, I have an app, everybody has an app ... it's lots of hype, and very little long-term proven benefit.

    I really hope we reach peak app soon, and people STFU about apps.

    Yes, fine, you have software. We've had software for decades. But now it's on a phone or a tablet. So it's an app, and it's super awesome, and we need to dedicate countless hours of coverage to it.

    And every drooling idiot is racing to ensure they're stuff is available on an app, and telling us how our lives will be improved and perfected by apps, and how if we're not writing an app we'll fall behind and become fossilized.

    You know what? Millions of people don't use smart phones, don't use an app for everything, and can conclude our normal bodily functions without relying on an app.

    I bet 99.9% of all apps are crap, or won't be around in 5 years. But, like the .com era, you can become a billionaire by saying you have an idea for an app.

    Blah blah blah .. take your damned app and get off my lawn.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Have we reached peak app yet? by 6Yankee · · Score: 5, Funny

      Seriously, I'm getting tired of the endless stream of apps.

      There's a nap for that.