Delaware Wants to Put Your License on Your Phone

Delaware is aiming to become the first state where you can just hand over your phone when asked for your driver's license. State lawmakers have asked the Delaware Department of Motor Vehicles to look into adopting digital licenses that can be accessed through a secure smartphone app. "We'd like to go first," the agency's director tells the News Journal. "If it works for Delaware, then it will be a new option for Delaware citizens to show proof of driver's license and identification."

Iowa is planning to roll out a similar program in 2016, and both states are among more than 30 that now allow drivers to show electronic proof of insurance during traffic stops, reports PC World. The proposed digital licenses will have security features including facial, voice, or fingerprint recognition, but old-school licenses aren't going anywhere, writes Jon Fingas at Engadget. He notes that officials have already pointed out many potential problems, like phone theft and battery death and predicts that virtual licenses will "mostly serve as a convenience for those times when you already have your phone in hand." (Guess what? The feds are probably tracking your car.)