Apple

Illinois Aims To Offer Digital IDs By End Of Year For Apple Users Only – Patch


SPRINGFIELD, IL — Nearly two weeks after a new law requiring his office to issue mobile driver’s licenses took effect, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced that he hopes they will be available to the public by the end of 2025 — but only to residents with iPhones or Apple Watches.

Last July, Illinois lawmakers passed House Bill 4592, which took effect on Jan. 1. According to the text of the law, Giannoulias’s office “shall issue a standard Illinois Identification Card, as well as a mobile Illinois Identification Card, to any natural person who is a resident of the state of Illinois who applies for such a card, or renewal thereof.”

A spokesperson for Giannoulias told Patch last year that “shall” does not mean the office is required to issue mobile licenses. And according to his website, his office was only enabled by the law on Jan. 1, 2025, to “begin the process of developing mobile driver’s licenses and state ID cards.”

But in fact, Giannoulias signed a confidential memorandum of agreement with Apple on Aug. 27, 2024. Though his office flouted the requirements of state public records laws, Patch eventually obtained the agreement via the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.

“This is the first component of a multi-faceted approach to deliver a state-of-the-art mobile driver’s license and state ID program that leverages best-in-class technology for residents,” Giannoulias said Monday, in a release announcing his office’s “goal of launching by the end of the year.”

The 8-page agreement with Apple outlines a framework for developing a digital identity credential for use on Apple devices. The Secretary of State’s Office and the tech company agreed to collaborate in good faith to develop a timeline to launch the program on a mutually agreed upon launch date, which has yet to be revealed to the public.

The memorandum, which is valid for up to 10 years, also requires Giannoulias’s office “successfully complete readiness and quality testing in accordance with Apple’s certification requirements.”

It also requires that the office gets approval from representatives of the corporation for any marketing materials that mention Apple or its products.

More than a dozen other states have already implemented digital IDs that are accepted by the Transportation Security Administration, though only two of them restrict access to Apple users.

While plans for the program currently exclude Android users, Giannoulias’s staff has said they plan to expand to other digital wallet platforms, such as Google Wallet, though they have not provided any timeline for when it might become available.

The law mandating digital driver’s licenses and ID cards passed the General Assembly unanimously last year, but the ACLU Illinois suggested some ways its implementation could be problematic, explained State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) during debate over the bill.

“There are concerns about expanding law enforcement access to mobile devices in a way that might have some privacy concerns, there may be issues requiring the internet to access the mobile ID, which disadvantages people who don’t have Wi-Fi,” Cassidy said, according to The Center Square. “Perhaps [the bill] could permit commercial entities to discriminate or charge higher fees, we see this in places that are refusing to take cash,”

Only a few cities and a couple states have laws placing limitations on “cashless” businesses.

Mobile driver’s licenses will not replace physical cards, which will remain a requirement for certain entities, including law enforcement and financial institutions.



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