DENVER — Coloradans using a new mobile ID won’t need to dig through their bags or pockets at Denver International Airport security anymore.
A new ‘Mobile Driver License,’ or MDL, on the myColorado app will allow travelers to bypass handing over their physical IDs to TSA officers. Instead, those travelers can present a QR code for TSA officers to scan.
Officials, including Gov. Jared Polis, announced the news at a Monday press conference at Denver’s airport.
“This will help [security lines] flow even faster, because part of the reason for the delays is people fumbling around and trying to find their ID, or [when they] drop it on the floor,” Polis said.
“Just by observing, you can see that it is a much more seamless experience than having to pull out your driver's license,” interim Denver Airport CEO Dave LaPorte added. “Every second matters. When you multiply seconds by millions of passengers each year, it's a remarkable difference in our throughput.”
“This technology reads the digital ID and takes a real-time photo of the traveler,” TSA spokesperson Dan Velez explained. “The system then compares the live photo with the photo connected to the mobile driver's license to help confirm that traveler's identity.”
Velez clarified that both the MDL and the facial comparison technology used by TSA are optional for travelers.
Watch the full story here:
The Colorado MDL is a different feature from the Colorado Digital ID, under a different tab within the myColorado app. The Digital ID has been used to verify someone’s identity at businesses within the state or with law enforcement.
A trial program for the MDL launched in early July. Officials say about 20,000 myColorado account holders have deploy or activated the MDL feature since then. The feature is accepted at more than 250 airports nationwide, with Denver leading the way with roughly 3,700 travelers using an MDL monthly. Those numbers are now only expected to grow with a full public rollout in Colorado.
“It's not really too far in the future where truly you can leave that wallet at home,” Polis said.
The governor and TSA say travelers should still carry their physical ID with them on trips as a backup “at least for now,” but implied that one day that won’t be necessary.
Officials tried to assuage travelers’ concerns about sharing personal information within this new feature.
“You don't actually hand over your device to anyone when using a mobile driver's license,” said Sarah Tuneberg, chief information officer & executive director with the governor’s Office of Information Technology. “It's touch to activate, so you keep your device in your possession.”
Polis argued the phone is more secure than carrying a physical ID.
“The biggest threat to your privacy continues to be just the physicality of a wallet: It can be stolen, you can drop it, you can lose it,” he said. “If your iPhone is stolen, it's harder for somebody to get on, because it has the security measures as part of that.”
Even with more and more people using their phones to store boarding passes, credit cards and more, travelers had mixed feelings about the rollout on Monday.
“Everything's on your phone now, and the less things you have to carry, the less things I might lose,” Jennifer Lee said with a laugh.
Gevi Samaroo, transiting through Denver on her way to Tampa, disagreed.
“I’d rather just pull out my ID,” she said. “Because everything is digital… Next thing you know, your phone just died on you. What are you gonna do then? You're stuck.”
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.