Knowledge base

Everything you need to understand digital identity.

Short, focused articles on mDL standards, wallet behavior, verification protocols, and how Credence ID products fit in.

11 articles

Digital Identity3 min read

What is Digital ID?

Digital ID allows people to prove who they are using secure credentials stored on their phone. Understand the trust model, wallet ecosystem, standards, and why digital credentials are replacing plastic cards.

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Digital Identity4 min read

How Do Government IDs Become Digital?

A quick read on how DMVs and government agencies issue cryptographically signed credentials to phone wallets — from identity enrollment through to verifier checks.

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Digital Identity3 min read

Issuers, Holders, and Verifiers

The three roles that every digital identity system is built around — who creates the credential, who owns it, and who checks it.

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mDL3 min read

What Is a Mobile Driver's License (mDL)?

A quick read on what an mDL is, how it works technically, why it's built on ISO standards, and how selective disclosure makes it more privacy-preserving than a plastic card.

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Digital Identity3 min read

Digital Identity vs Mobile Driver's License (mDL)

Digital identity is the broad system for proving who someone is digitally. An mDL is one specific government-issued credential within that system. Here's how they differ.

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Standards3 min read

ISO/IEC 18013-5 vs ISO/IEC 18013-7

18013-5 defines the mobile ID and how it is verified in person. 18013-7 defines how that same credential is presented online. Here's how they differ and how they work together.

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Standards3 min read

What Is ISO/IEC 18013-7?

The standard that extends mDL verification to the internet — enabling websites and apps to request identity attributes directly from a user's wallet over a secure, cryptographic channel.

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Standards3 min read

What Is ISO/IEC 18013-5?

The international standard that defines how mobile driver's licenses are structured, secured, and verified — enabling interoperability across devices, wallets, and verifier systems worldwide.

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mDL3 min read

Are mDLs Secure and Private?

mDLs use cryptographic signatures, device-bound keys, and selective disclosure to deliver identity verification that is more secure and privacy-preserving than a physical card.

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mDL3 min read

How Are Mobile Driver's Licenses Issued?

A quick read on how state DMVs verify identity, create cryptographically signed credentials, and securely provision them to a user's mobile wallet.

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mDL3 min read

What Data Is in a Mobile Driver's License (mDL)?

An mDL contains structured identity data issued by a state DMV and formatted using ISO/IEC 18013-5. Learn which fields are required, which are U.S.-specific, and how derived attributes enable privacy-preserving age checks.

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