Austroads unveils Digital Trust Service for mobile licences

The Australian Federal Government has launched an initiative to ensure the secure and international verification of mobile driver's licences through the new Digital Trust Service. The announcement was made at the International Identity and Verifiable Credentials Summit 2024 (IVC24) held in Sydney.

The Digital Trust Service will allow Australian jurisdictions to verify credentials, such as mobile driver's licences, in compliance with international best practice, specifically ISO standards. Dr Geoff Allan, CEO of Austroads, stated, "The delivery of the Digital Trust Service has set a new benchmark in cross-jurisdictional collaboration, bringing about a nation-wide solution that can safely, securely and reliably support the ecosystem of organisations that rely on drivers' licences to verify driver status, age, and identity."

Representatives from Europe and the United States, along with Australian jurisdictional representatives, demonstrated the capability of this technology by using their digital driver's licences to pass through the U.S Department of Homeland Security's CAT2 airport gate. They symbolically boarded 'Flight 18013,' showcasing the ease of identity verification both domestically and internationally.

The development of the Digital Trust Service has been an extensive collaborative effort. Austroads, in partnership with international leaders and domestic experts, has aimed to standardise digital credentials following ISO 18013 and 23220. This initiative enjoys nationwide support, with all government agencies across Australia working cohesively to implement the standards. The project aims to launch new mobile drivers' licences across Australia by 2025 and 2026.

"It seeks to solve complex credential challenges," Dr Allan explained. "Currently, states and territories do not use a common standard. Fragmentation between states leaves Australians more open to security and road safety risks. The Digital Trust Service seeks to harmonise all digital drivers' licences across Australia, ensuring that they can be verified regardless of the jurisdiction or location within Australia or New Zealand and even verified in North America and the European Union."

Ian Grossman, President and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), was among the notable figures who praised the initiative. "The Digital Trust Service brings together the experience and learnings of the equivalent systems in North America and Europe. It brings global best practices that support safety, security, inclusion, reliability, and interoperability. It has shown the power of collaboration on a global scale to deliver better outcomes domestically and internationally," he said.

More than 450 leaders from four continents attended the IVC24 summit, participating in three distinct event streams. The streams covered the International Standards Working Group and plenary council, the latest developments in verifiable credentials by identity providers and regulators, and the 10th Interoperability Event, where Austroads demonstrated the Digital Trust Service.

The initiative has also garnered support from various Australian states. Hon. John Graham, MLC, Minister for Roads in New South Wales, expressed the state's excitement about partnering with Austroads. "As one of the first jurisdictions in the world to develop a digital driver licence, the NSW Government is excited to be partnering with Austroads to develop the Digital Trust Service. This will ensure NSW continues to be a leading partner in international identity and credential verification," he commented.

Hon. David Michael MLA, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport in Western Australia, also voiced his support. "Western Australia is excited to be involved in developing this world-class system that enables safe and secure verification of identity, not just in WA but across the world," he said, acknowledging the collaboration between Austroads, the WA Department of Transport, and other jurisdictions.

With this new initiative, the Federal Government aims to establish a robust and secure system for the verification of digital credentials, setting a potential standard for global adoption.