Concepts

What is Digital ID?

Digital ID allows people to prove who they are using secure credentials stored on their phone, instead of showing a plastic ID card.

ConceptsmDLIdentity

Overview

The trust layer for modern digital services

A digital credential works like a physical ID card — but with cryptographic guarantees and selective disclosure built in.

Users simply scan, tap, or approve to share verified identity information. The credential stays in their phone wallet; the verifier gets only what it asked for.

Stored in

Phone wallets

Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and government identity apps can all store and present digital credentials.

Verified by

Any compatible reader

A website, mobile app, kiosk, or handheld verifier device can request and validate the credential using open standards.

Use cases

Where digital IDs are used

Digital credentials can be verified both online and in person.

Online

Remote verification

Prove identity to a website or mobile application for account creation, age verification, and remote identity checks — without uploading a photo of a physical card.

In person

Physical checkpoints

Present a credential to a verifier device at airports, stadiums, retail checkout, kiosks, and access control gates.

Under the hood

How digital ID works

Behind the simple user experience are global identity standards that ensure the credential is authentic and trusted.

Layer: Credential format
Technology: ISO/IEC 18013-5 mobile driver's license (mDL)

Layer: Presentation protocol
Technology: OpenID4VP or ISO DeviceRequest

Layer: Transport
Technology: NFC, BLE, or QR code

Layer: Cryptography
Technology: COSE signatures and HPKE encryption

Layer	Technology
Credential format	ISO/IEC 18013-5 mobile driver's license (mDL)
Presentation protocol	OpenID4VP or ISO DeviceRequest
Transport	NFC, BLE, or QR code
Cryptography	COSE signatures and HPKE encryption

These standards ensure the credential is authentic, untampered, and issued by a trusted authority. The verifier never contacts the issuer during a check — everything it needs to validate the credential is already inside it.

Benefits

Why digital ID matters

Digital credentials improve on physical cards across every dimension that matters for identity.

Security

Cryptographically signed

Every credential carries a digital signature from the issuing authority — a DMV, government agency, or accredited body. Forgery is computationally infeasible.

Privacy

Selective disclosure

Users share only the data the verifier needs. Proving age over 21 does not require revealing a full date of birth, address, or license number.

Control

User-held credentials

Credentials remain in the user's digital wallet, not in multiple databases. The holder decides what to share and when.

Speed

Seconds, not minutes

Verification happens in seconds both online and in person. No manual card inspection, no camera uploads, no database lookups.

The bigger picture

The shift to verifiable credentials

Digital ID represents the transition from plastic identity cards to cryptographically verifiable digital credentials.

This shift enables identity verification that is more secure, more private, easier to use, and globally interoperable. ISO/IEC 18013-5 and the emerging OpenID4VP ecosystem are converging on a common model that works across Apple, Google, Samsung, and government-issued wallets.

More secure

Cryptographic proof replaces visual inspection.

More private

Minimum necessary data, every time.

Easier to use

Tap or scan — no physical card required.

Interoperable

Open standards work across wallets and platforms.