Hawai'i-Issued Real IDs Can Be Added to Apple Wallet Beginning August 28

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Adoption and State Differences

  • Hawai‘i adding IDs to Apple Wallet is seen as positive, with envy from residents of states lagging behind (e.g., CA, OR, KY, NY).
  • Some states already have digital IDs via state apps (CA, NY, UT, MD, GA, etc.), but quality and usefulness vary widely; some are clunky, buggy, or not widely accepted.
  • Google Wallet support exists for IDs in several states (AZ, CA, CO, GA, MD); Apple Wallet support is expanding but uneven.

Practical Usability and Reliability

  • Many report almost no real-world use: TSA acceptance is inconsistent, and some airports or TSA scanners frequently fail, forcing fallback to physical IDs.
  • Local law enforcement, bars, and restaurants in some states often refuse digital IDs.
  • Bars and POS systems aren’t yet well-adapted to Apple/Google Pay for running tabs; dynamic card numbers and workflows create friction.

Legal Scope and Limitations

  • In some jurisdictions, digital licenses explicitly cannot substitute for a physical card for police orders or alcohol purchase.
  • Concerns raised that this undermines the point of digital IDs, since police can already look up license records. Others cite offline verification and anti-forgery traditions.

Platforms, Standards, and Vendor Lock-In

  • Debate over tying government IDs to specific corporate wallets; some see it as problematic “fast lanes” for certain phone users.
  • Others note the underlying use of open standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 18013-5) and that states maintain their own infrastructure, with Apple/Google as implementers.
  • Complaints about states choosing proprietary vendor apps instead of wallet integration.

Motivations and Business Models

  • Many see this as part of Apple/Google’s push to replace physical wallets, drive use of mobile payments, and, for Apple, earn payment fees.
  • Also viewed as competitive feature-lock and ecosystem “moats,” plus data/engagement funnels (especially for Google).

Privacy, Surveillance, and Online Identity

  • Some welcome selective disclosure (e.g., proving age without revealing address) as better than physical IDs.
  • Others fear creep toward mandatory ID for online services, loss of anonymity, easier deplatforming, and China-style social control.
  • Mixed views on “real identity” platforms vs pseudonymous forums; concerns about chilling effects but also about spam and future LLM-driven fake users.

Real ID and Identity Policy

  • Discussion on Real ID as a federalized standard tied to SSNs; some see it as stronger, more legitimate identity proof, others as expensive theater that harms marginalized groups.
  • Voter ID and broader ID-access inequality are raised as serious side effects.