On July 14, GSA welcomed nearly 1,500 attendees—including representatives from federal agencies, state governments, industry partners, and international organizations — for the first-ever Federal Mobile Driver’s License (mDL) Industry Day. This hybrid event, held in person at the Department of the Interior Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and streamed online, was hosted in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration (DHS TSA), the DHS Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The day marked a major milestone in the federal government’s exploration of secure, privacy-preserving digital identity solutions.
mDLs: More Than Just a Digital License
Throughout the day, panelists and presenters emphasized that mDLs are not just digital replicas of plastic IDs. Instead, they are privacy-preserving, standards-based digital credentials that offer individuals greater control over their personal information, while enhancing identity assurance for government agencies and service providers.
With over 14 states actively issuing mDLs, the technology is moving beyond pilot projects and into real-world implementations. We heard firsthand from the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) leaders at the forefront of this shift, as they shared lessons learned, technical strategies, and user-centric design approaches that are shaping the digital identity ecosystem nationwide.
Insights from Across the Ecosystem
The agenda featured perspectives from state DMVs, federal agencies, standards bodies, and international implementations, highlighting the momentum building across sectors. Panelists shared lessons from real-world deployments; challenges around interoperability and user experience; and the importance of designing for privacy, accessibility, and security from the start.
Demonstrations and Use Cases
In-person attendees experienced live demonstrations of mDL technology across multiple use cases, reinforcing the importance of interoperability testing environments to support scalable, real-world adoption. These demos illustrated how mDLs can help federal agencies deliver services more efficiently, securely, and transparently.
Speakers also emphasized that successful adoption will require cross-functional collaboration across IT, acquisition, privacy, cybersecurity, and service delivery teams.
A Call for Collaboration
GSA announced its participation in a business use case testing initiative led by NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE)—a key step to developing standards to ensure mDLs function seamlessly across state and federal systems before wide-scale deployment. This collaborative project is focused on advancing the adoption of privacy-preserving digital credentials by developing and demonstrating practical use cases for mDLs.
The key takeaway: mDLs are here — and growing fast. But unlocking their full potential will require sustained collaboration between federal agencies, state governments, standards bodies, and solution providers.
We’re proud to help lead this effort — and we’re just getting started. Stay tuned as we continue supporting digital identity innovation across the federal enterprise.