Iowa residents can now add their driver’s licenses and state IDs to Google Wallet, enhancing the state's digital ID services across leading mobile platforms however privacy concerns remain.
IDEMIA Public Security has teamed up with [1] the Iowa Department of Transportation to introduce a new feature that integrates Google Wallet into Iowa's existing digital ID system, which already supports Apple Wallet and Samsung Wallet. This integration is designed to enhance convenience for Android users, enabling them to use their smartphones to present valid identification at Transportation Security Administration or TSA checkpoints and at select businesses. This initiative aligns Iowa with a growing trend among states embracing mobile ID solutions. To enroll in the program, users can conveniently do so through the Google Wallet app, eliminating the need to download the separate Iowa Mobile ID app unless they choose to access it independently.
Rob Gardner who [2] is the CEO of Idemia Civil Identity said, “We are proud to once again continue our partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation to offer their residents even more security and convenience through Google Wallet. As Idemia’s first launch of mobile IDs in Google Wallet to date, I grow even more excited about the future of mobile ID technology and how accessible we can continue to make mobile ID for state residents across the country.” To incorporate a digital ID, [3] users must access Google Wallet, go to the “ID Card” section and follow a procedure that entails [4] scanning their physical driver's license and undergoing [5] facial recognition for identity verification. Once set up, the digital ID would be used at more than 200 TSA checkpoints across the country.
IDEMIA Public Security partnered with [6] Iowa Department of Transportation in 2023 to launch “the next-generation” of mobile ID; this has now evolved to encompass support for all three major digital wallet platforms. By taking this step, Iowa follows in the footsteps of states [7] like West Virginia, which introduced Samsung Wallet support for mobile IDs in February 2025, moving towards the tangible implementation of digital identity for everyday use.
Kim Reynolds who [8] is the Governor of Iowa said, “Iowa is the first state in the nation to roll out a mobile ID with a large number of businesses across the state capable of accepting the ID. I’m so proud of the DOT and the Department of Revenue’s Alcoholic Beverages Division working together on an innovative solution that provides convenience and added security for Iowans as they use their IDs for a variety of purposes.” The Iowa Department of Transportation and IDEMIA are actively working to increase the number of locations where digital IDs can be utilized, extending their acceptance across more government services and private-sector businesses. These applications cover a broad spectrum, including age verification, transportation, and building access, highlighting the growing public demand for secure and mobile-first identity solutions.
However, a [9] coalition of privacy advocates and leading digital rights organizations has joined forces in a campaign aimed at eliminating the surveillance features inherent in mobile driver's license technology. The campaign, [10] No Phone Home, is supported by a declaration advocating for identity systems, such as mobile driver’s licenses, to implement a technological standard that prevents the tracking and surveillance of users. Timothy Ruff who [11] is the Chief Strategy Officer of Digital Trust Venture Partners said, “Digital identity has been the province of Big Tech: Google and Amazon and Facebook and Microsoft and every other place we have a username and password. People have not adequately considered the ramifications of government getting into the digital identity business.”
Jay Stanley, [12] an ACLU senior policy analyst also said, “The age verification movement could become a way in which a digital identity system that doesn’t protect privacy will collect a lot more data about people,” Stanley said. “And that gets even more worse when you think about a ton of websites asking you for your digital ID. Now, a stream of all your websites are flowing to the government, and it’s not hard to imagine how that could be abused against, say, Gaza protesters or protesters of any political strike, for that matter, who don’t like them.”
Iowa proposed using a mobile app as an option to a traditional driver's license in 2014, however this raised privacy questions according [13] to columnist Eric Zeman, “The state of Iowa wants to pave its own path to the mobile future but it could find itself in a legal quagmire along the way. This week, Iowa's head of transportation proposed that next year the state release a smartphone application that residents can use as their state-issued photo ID, in lieu of or in addition to a standard plastic license. At this point, however, there are more questions than answers about the proposal,” said Zeman. “Police officers often take drivers' licenses, registration cards, and proof of insurance cards to their cruiser to check for outstanding tickets or other violations that could warrant action beyond the scope of a traffic stop. Under Iowa's plan, law enforcement officials would instead take drivers' smartphones.”