APPLE’S DIGITAL ID – According to sources, Apple’s much-publicized digital driver’s license function comes at a cost to taxpayers.
Residents of eight US states will be able to save state IDs and driver’s licenses in the Apple Wallet software on their iPhone, according to a September announcement. [ APPLE’S ]
According to CNBC, APPLE’S has “sole control” over numerous areas of the rollout.
However, “at taxpayer expense,” Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah “carry the burden of preserving [the feature].”
CNBC obtained details of the agreements between several of those states and Apple through public records requests and other means:
- Apple retains control over when the feature is released and which devices are compatible, while state agencies are in charge of maintaining the essential computer systems and ensuring legal compliance, and Apple dictates how they report on the feature’s “success.”
- State entities must hire or assign people and resources to support the project “on a timeframe chosen by Apple” and “designate” project managers to respond to Apple’s questions if Apple so wishes.
- States are required by the contract to market the new function, but Apple has the authority to evaluate and approve those marketing materials.
- Every new license holder or renewal must be “proactively” supplied the digital ID at no additional expense to the individual applying.
- States must promote it to entities like local law enforcement and anyone else who examines IDs on a regular basis.
According to CNBC’s article, “the final result is that states carry the burden of maintaining technological systems at taxpayer money,” which “benefits Apple and its stockholders by making its devices even more necessary than they are now.”
The states “have handed a stunning degree of authority to Apple,” according to Jason Mikula, a financial technology writer who also got the Apple information.
“States agree to terms that make it virtually impossible to end the program in the future,” he said, adding that “beyond granting Apple near unlimited control over the program.
states also agree to provisions that make it nearly impossible to terminate the program in the future.”
“The state agencies that have entered into them can only terminate them with Apple’s assent or for cause.
if Apple breaks the terms of the agreement and does not repair within 30 days,” according to two memorandums of understanding.
A request for comment from Apple was not returned.
When Apple first revealed the specifications of its ID scheme, it emphasized encryption and other security features, emphasizing that neither the business nor government officials would be able to see “when or when” users flashed IDs.
During the coronavirus epidemic, there was strong public opposition to the idea of digital Covid passports or other ID in certain nations, including the United Kingdom, despite the NHS Covid-19 app being widely used for that purpose in England.
Concerns about civil rights also contributed to the cancellation of a 2019 attempt in the UK to implement a more broad digital-ID scheme.