What's in your wallet? Not your driver license, if some in the Texas Legislature and the Texas Department of Public Safety have their way, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
A measure in the Legislature would allow the DMV to create a pilot program on whether to create a 'virtual driver license' which would exist not as a piece of laminated plastic in your wallet or purse, but on your smart phone.
The state has already agreed to allow 'proof of insurance' to exist in virtual form, and many credit card companies are perfecting technology to allow you to pay for items at stores simply by swiping your phone, which will include your credit or debit card information.
But State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) is worried about the effect of the 'virtual' drivers license on commerce. The Legislature just debated a bill to give merchants more leeway to demand identification when accepting debit cards.
"Everywhere you go now, you have to present ID now," he said.
Perry is also worried about identity theft."The two things that can get you into the most trouble in identity theft are Social Security Number and birth date," Perry said. "They can't both be in the same database when you go through this process."
At issue is the purpose of a driver's license.
Even though it is widely used as a form of government issued identification for everything from demonstrating age at a bar to casting a vote, the purpose of a driver's license is to show that you are licensed to drive.
Questions are also being raised about the future of the driver's license as autonomous cars begin coming onto the scene. Who in an autonomous car, if anybody, should be required to have a driver's license?