DMV Hosts Second Community Hackathon to Facilitate Additional Public Sector Uses for Mobile Driver’s License

Contact: Office of Public Affairs
2415 First Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 657–6437 | dmvpublicaffairs@dmv.ca.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2024

Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles today is co-hosting the second community hackathon to increase acceptance of California mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs).

Today’s daylong event in Sacramento highlights 12 selected teams that include more than 40 participants representing public sector entities, who propose to add secure and privacy-protecting digital identity into their customer experience.

“The California mobile driver’s license is a smart, secure step forward in digital identity technology,” said California State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin. “This hackathon brings together the public sector’s best and brightest in friendly competition to develop secure ID verification, all right from your smartphone.”

The participating teams’ proposals showcase additional uses for the mDL, now available in the California DMV Wallet, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.

“Digital credentials are the way of the future,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “The mDL has potential to offer Californians easier access to government services and more efficiency to the delivery of these services.”

Representatives from local, state, national and international government entities are participating on teams at the event. Some of the participants include: U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), U.S. General Services Administration, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), California Department of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol, California Office of Data and Innovation (ODI), City of Los Angeles, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the West Virginia Secretary of State, and Info CDMX (Mexico). Some government entities have partnered with private companies to develop their use cases to leverage mDLs as a secure, privacy-preserving and cost-effective identity verification tool.

Participating teams were provided a suite of tools and technical support in the month leading up to the hackathon so they can demonstrate proposed use cases at the event. Participants are encouraged to address five main aspects in their use case presentations: viability, privacy and security, user experience, as well as social and environmental impact. The proposals focus on a wide range of government uses and public services that may benefit from accepting mobile driver’s licenses or identification cards.

The DMV is partnering with the OpenID Foundation to offer the day-long hackathon.

About mDL: The mDL pilot is limited to 1.5 million participants. The California DMV Wallet mDL, ID in Apple Wallet and ID in Google Wallet offer quick and secure identity-check at select airports without handing over your phone or your driver’s license. The mDL does not replace a physical driver’s license or state-issued identification card but gives Californians another convenient option for identity verification and more control over how they share their information. Pilot participants still must carry their physical cards, though acceptance and uses of the mDL will continue to evolve.

More than 830,000 Californians have mDLs. To get one, access or create your “MyDMV” account at dmv.ca.gov/mdl, have your valid California driver’s license or identification card handy, and use the camera on your smartphone for authentication. Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play. Information on how to get an ID in Apple Wallet or ID in Google Wallet can also be found on the DMV website at dmv.ca.gov/mdl.

###