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Get ready for a digital ID on your phone
Why it matters: Digital ID wallets can be safer than handing over a plastic card, because you can share only one fact, such as being over 21. They also make your phone more valuable to steal and create a new kind of fake request to watch for.
Do it
- Add a mobile ID only through your phone's built-in wallet or your state's official app.
- Before sharing, read what the verifier is asking for and decline anything beyond what the transaction needs.
- Only present your ID to apps and readers you started yourself, never through a link someone sent.
- Keep your physical ID; many places still require it.
- Know how to remove the ID remotely if your phone is lost.
Check it worked: If you add a driver's license or ID to your phone, it is protected by a strong passcode and theft protection, and you know to share only what a verifier needs.
Simply put
A digital ID is like showing a bouncer only the line that says you're over 21, not your whole license. It shares less, but only if you decline the extra details, and it makes your phone worth protecting.
In detail
Mobile driver's licenses follow ISO/IEC 18013-5, and the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 underpins many other digital credentials; the EU's digital identity wallet rules (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) push the same model. Selective disclosure is the privacy win, but only if you actually decline the extra fields.
Points toward the Long View: an ID on your phone that shares only what each check needs.