Mobile Driver’s Licenses Bringing Blockchain to Your Pocket

Recently Samsung received a regulatory sandbox license for a mobile driver’s license based on Samsung Pass, its proprietary authentication service. The technology and semiconductor giant is expected to release a mobile driver’s license program in collaboration with the Korea Information Certification Agency (KICA) in the near future to compete with others ready for launch in South Korea.

An existing ‘Mobile Driver’s License Confirmation Service‘ integrates PASS, which is an authentication program from three of Korea’s biggest telecoms providers, is set to be released in May. If Samsung launches a similar service, the two will be in direct competition with each other, as are their ‘Pass’ variations.

At the 8th New Technology and Service Deliberation Committee by the Ministry of Science and ICT it was revealed that as many as 7 types of mobile driver’s license confirmation programs were in being deliberated at Samsung, but only one was awarded the permit to operate under the regulatory sandbox program.

Minister Kiyoung Choi stated at the deliberation committee that his ministry was set on taking on tasks meant to increase the convenience of peoples’ everyday lives. Such conveniences would be in the fields of information services, digital media services, mobile electronic notices for private institutions, tourist taxis, payment orders for alcohol, and mobile driver’s licenses. He further commented that “[it is a policy of our government to create opportunities for new technologies to challenge the old.]”

This newly developing arm of the DID field in Korea is expected to be accepted the same as a plastic driver’s license, but will be easier to utilize on mobile apps that require a driver’s license such as some popular scooter rental apps and ride-sharing app Soka. The seamless integration of new mobile driver’s licenses comes from the Ministry of Science and ICT’s decision to allow a temporary permit for their use across physical and virtual platforms, meaning that they were not legal until the ministry cleared them for use.

The mobile driver’s license, as seen in the image, would be shown to authorities in the form of a QR Code which they could scan. The individual’s personal information would be instantly verified at the National Police Agency and the Korea Highway Traffic Authority in real-time. The personal information accessible by authorities would presumably be no different than the information they already hold on card-holding individuals, with the addition of the QR code and search history.

The three mobile carriers who are already set to launch their version of the mobile driver’s license service are considering applying security measures such as blockchain to further protect personal information. Blockchain could improve security by allowing users to keep their personal information on their smartphone rather than a centralized server, then simply have a ‘second key’ at the police headquarters virtually verify the blockchain-encrypted information that the mobile driver’s license holds.

Samsung’s foray in the DID service game brings one of Korea’s largest companies overall into the increasingly competitive space. Samsung’s contributions to the Korean GDP can hardly go understated, representing roughly 15% of the country’s $1.5+ trillion GDP. In this space, they will face competition from LG U+, SK Telecom, KT, and Kakao, who are already working hard to integrate as many DID services into their service packages as possible for the sake of convenience.

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