Electronic Driver's License: The New Secure ID Solution

The identity credential is evolving, and the newest iteration is the electronic driver's license, which could revolutionize how we verify identity in both the real and virtual worlds.Neville Pattinson, VP of Government Affairs with Gemalto and Chairman of the Smart Card Alliance, is a proponent of the electronic driver's license. And he's seen it deployed successfully by several governments around the world.

"In Sweden, every citizen has an electronic driver's license," Pattinson says, offering one example. "It is used for online services - for e-government interaction."

In an exclusive interview, Pattinson discusses:

• The key differences between traditional and electronic driver's licenses;
• How the electronic driver's license can work as a complete secure ID solution;
• What organizations can do now to pave the way for this new generation of credential.

Pattinson, CISSP CIPP, is the vice president of government affairs and business development at Austin-based Gemalto North America. He is the chairman of the Smart Card Alliance and sits on the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. He can be reached at neville.pattinson@gemalto.com. Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, last year supplied more the 1.4 billion secure personal devices for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security.

In this interview, Pattinson's comments and views are the sole expression of his business role at Gemalto, and are not reflective of the DPIAC or U.S. Government.