The image is from a photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales.
When Apple introduced its updated Apple wallet in June, the company said it was working to ensure you could use it to get through airport security, and now, we have our first word from the Transportation Security Administration.
The Secure Technology Alliance said that the TSA is going to support Apple wallet IDs in two airports in February. The test will be expanded to airports in two more states. The Apple wallet is the first digital ID the TSA will accept, but the program is expected to expand to other platforms in the future.
A machine will automate the process of checking a traveler's ID photo and flight information, instead of the staff doing it. Travelers will use a mobile device to initiate the data exchange. The verification process will be overseen by a staff member of the TSA.
Apple announced at the conference that it will expand Apple Wallet to cover conventional ID cards like state drivers' licenses, which are secured and stored in a secure enclave. Hyatt and the new system have a partnership that supports hotel keys.
State driver's licenses remain the most common form of identification in the United States, but their integration with Apple's system has been controversial. CNBC reported on the company's contracts with the states, which leave Apple discretion over key portions of the project and place a significant administrative burden on local departments of Motor Vehicles.
