Apple wants US states to partially pay for digital ID cards rollout

San Francisco, Nov 15 (IANS) Apple is reportedly asking states in the US to partially pay for people to use its iPhones as digital identification cards.

According to a CNBC report citing documents, each state will have to "allocate reasonably sufficient personnel and resources to support the launch of the Programme on a timeline to be determined by Apple".

Apple gets "sole discretion" over a number of aspects of the programme, including its device compatibility, the service's launch date, states' marketing campaigns, as well as how states report on the initiative's performance.

"The company requires states to maintain the systems needed to issue and service credentials, hire project managers to respond to Apple inquiries, prominently market the new feature and push for its adoption with other government agencies, all at taxpayer expense, according to contracts signed by four states," the CNBC report said on Sunday.

Apple is also holding states accountable for the authenticity of the programme's identity verification.

"Apple shall not be liable for any Verification Results, and the Agency acknowledges that all Verification Results are provided 'AS IS' and without any warranty, express, implied or otherwise, regarding its accuracy or performance," according to the Apple contract signed with several US states.

The tech giant in September announced that it is working with several states across the country, which will roll out the ability for their residents to seamlessly and securely add their driver's license or state ID to Wallet on their iPhone and Apple Watch.

Arizona and Georgia were the first states to introduce this new innovation to their residents, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah to follow.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will enable select airport security checkpoints and lanes in participating airports as the first locations customers can use their driver's license or state ID in Wallet.

"The addition of driver's licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.