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Apple just announced that it is now allowing users to upload their passport information to their Apple Wallets. According to Apple’s press release, this Digital ID will be accepted at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports in the U.S for domestic travel.
The digital identification allows users who may not have a REAL ID-complaint drivers license or state ID to travel without having to carry their physical passport. Of course, if you’re traveling internationally, you’re still going to need to bring your actual passport.
To set this up, open the Wallet app on your iPhone, and be sure to have your U.S. passport on hand. Then tap the add (+) button at the top of the Wallet app, choose Driver’s License and ID Cards, then pick Digital ID. From there, follow the on-screen steps to complete setup and verification.
Apple and Google have both previously allowed users to upload digital identification such as driver’s licenses to their phones as an alternative to the physical card, but adoption varies by state. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also has a Mobile Passport Control application that allows users to upload their passport information to enter the country faster, but you still need the physical identification card.
According to Apple, travelers can present their Digital ID by double-clicking the side or Home button to open Apple Wallet, selecting their Digital ID, and then holding their iPhone near the TSA identity reader, without actually unlocking the device. They’ll be shown exactly what information is being requested and must confirm it using Face ID or Touch ID.
The feature works a bit like Apple Pay, which last year Apple announced was “used by hundreds of millions of consumers” in a press release marking its 10-year anniversary as a payment option. Just like how Apple made the process of paying for goods a bit more seamless, the new Digital ID may do something similar in the security space.
However, privacy advocates have long warned that digital IDs could inadvertently give law enforcement access to someone’s phone. Even though officers can’t legally compel you to unlock a device—and you don’t need to unlock your phone to use this digital ID—if you do hand an officer an already unlocked phone while showing a digital ID, it may effectively grant them access without violating your rights. (The law is unsettled on whether Customs and Border Protection can ask you for your digital devices at the border, but you can’t use this digital passport to travel internationally anyways).
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Tekendra Parmar
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