MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Your Tennessee driver’s license could soon look very different. A new program is in the works to turn your state ID digital.
If you have gone to a bar or brewery like Soul & Spirits off of North Main Memphis, chances are you have been asked to take out your license.
“That’s what we’re trained to do,” said Blair Perry Soul & Spirits Co-Founder. “That’s our job. Whether you’re 21 or 99, it is required by state law.”
During the legislative session, state Sen. Dawn White and representative Mary Littleton submitted SB 2661/HB 2792, requiring the Tennessee Department of Safety to create a digital license system. This digital initiative has seen similar progress across the country.
Pennsylvania representative Dan Miller tried to get a digital ID system launch in his state, but it was not met with a lot of support.
"Having that way to identify people when they need to...it just makes sense to make it digital," said Rep. Miller. "This is not a matter of if, but when."
In Tennessee, it turns out the bill submitted by White and Littleton was not really needed at all. An email from the DOS confirms this had been a law for several years and the department is in the final steps of finalizing the digital program, with more details to come closer to a launch date. A launch date nor a timeline has been provided at this time.
While there is not much to go on with what this project is going to look like in the long run, a couple of states can be used for reference. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland all have an option where you can quickly snap a picture on your phone to store your drivers' license on your Apple Wallet. States like Mississippi have their own apps which contains your digital license.
In the past, Digital ID programs have been met with skepticism from the ACLU — a 2021 report says it holds the potential to be a privacy nightmare.
Meanwhile in Memphis, the digital program has found some support with Memphis liquor stores and breweries like Soul & Spirits, and D’s Spirits and Wine off of Poplar Avenue.
“When someone is looking for their wallet, in their other hand is always their phone,” said Dwight Black, D’s Spirits and Wine owner.
Now that the world continues to move in a digital age, Black tells ABC24 it may not be a bad idea to go digital, especially if someone misplaces their ID. Black estimates around 1 in 12 customers at D’s misplace their ID. However, before the program gets the go ahead, Black feels the system needs to have solid cyber security and a way to verify a real ID versus a fake.
“We insure that a driver’s license is real today in the hard copy," Black said. "We need those assurances on the electronic version as well.”