• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 12, 2014

I don’t know about you, but when I think “cutting edge,” one place leaps to mind: Iowa. This week the state confirmed its tech-savvy chops with the news that it will begin offering its citizens an app that allows them to carry a legally valid digital driver’s license on their mobile device, starting sometime in 2015. Iowa will thus become the first state in the union to offer mobile drivers’ licenses.

Iowa Department of Transportation director Paul Trombino revealed the plans for mobile licenses on Monday during the state agency’s budget hearing, according to the Des Moines Register, which first reported the news. Describing the mobile driver’s license as “an identity vault app,” Trombino said it would use bar codes to link the device to the DOT’s central database, with a digital PIN number for verification. The mobile license app would carry no additional cost, and drivers may have both traditional plastic licenses and digital versions if they so choose.

According to the Register, the digital driver’s license will be accepted by Iowa law enforcement as well as airport security. The state already accepts electronic proof of car insurance. Trombino suggested that the state might issue digital licenses for other kinds of officially administered qualifications.

Although the mobile license app is obviously a nifty idea, critics have cautioned that there are a number of potential pitfalls. For one thing, the bar code functionality will require police officers to take a driver’s mobile device to their police cruiser to scan the ID -- making it impossible for the driver to, say, record the interaction on video or call a lawyer.

Then there’s the possibility that the mobile device display is broken, rendering the bar code unreadable, or the battery is simply out of power. So until they work out these kinks, it’s probably a good idea to hang on to those plastic licenses too.