In my (European) country now we can have a digital copy of the driving license on the phone. It specifically says that it’s valid to be presented to law enforcement officers during a check.

I saw amazed in the beginning. They went from limited beta testing to full scale nationwide launch in just two months. Unbelievable. And I even thought “wow this is so convenient I won’t need to take the wallet with me anymore”. I installed the government app and signed up with my government id and I got my digital driving license.

Then yesterday I got stopped by a random roadblock check and police asked me my id card. I was eager to immediately try the new app and show them the digital version, but then because music was playing via Bluetooth and I didn’t want to pause it, i just gave the real one.

They took it and went back to their patrol for a full five minutes while they were doing background checks on me.

That means if I used the digital version, they would had unlimited access to all my digital life. Photos, emails, chats, from decades ago.

What are you are going to do, you expect that they just scan the qr code on the window, but they take the phone from your hand. Are you going to complain raising doubts? Or even say “wait I pin the app with a lock so you can’t see the content?”

“I have nothing to hide” but surely when searching for some keywords something is going to pop-up. Maybe you did some ironic statement and now they want to know more about that.

And this is a godsend for the secret services. They no longer need to buy zero day exploits for infecting their targets, they can just cosplay as a patrol and have the victim hand the unlocked phone, for easy malware installation

Immediately uninstalled the government app, went back to traditional documents.

  • Virkkunen@fedia.io
    72·
    1 month ago

    In Brazil, the officer just uses their own phone to scan a validation QR on the ID app, at no point your phone leaves your hand and in a few seconds the officer has what they need. Shouldn’t this be the case in the EU? AFAIK the officers only take your physical ID to check the number, so if you’re using the app they shouldn’t need to confirm that as the info is already validated

    • nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br
      32·
      1 month ago

      Isn’t it impressive that we in Brazil sometimes create the best and most simple solutions to problems, but no one will imitate us and will keep insisting in their problematic systems, because we are the third world and supposedly can’t get anything right? It’s sad when we end up replacing our own good things, because even we think we’re inferior in everything and can’t come up with a good solution for anything.

    • jagged_circle@feddit.nlEnglish
      11·
      1 month ago

      As op said, the whole point is to get you to hand your phone over unlocked. Thats the point.

      • Virkkunen@fedia.io
        0·
        1 month ago

        But you’re not handing your phone over, it stays in your hand and if there’s a QR code to scan they’ll scan it with the phone in your hand

    • atrielienz@lemmy.worldEnglish
      34·
      1 month ago

      I believe EU also requires that you give up login credentials if they are biometric in nature. Meaning if you use a fingerprint reader or face unlock you are required to provide that to law enforcement when asked. So either way if they want your phone’s contents they can get it.

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
        61·
        1 month ago

        They need a warrant or probable cause for that, but yes they can compel it unlike a password. It’s still a search and needs to be lawfully done in the first place.

        • atrielienz@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 month ago

          Yea but that wasn’t the point of me pointing it out. The point was that they don’t need to resort to such measures in order to clandestinely acquire your unlocked phone.

          • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
            1·
            1 month ago

            Right, but they can’t just do it without reason which he was implying, and he replied to me with

            “Yea but that wasn’t the point of me pointing it out. The point was that they don’t need to resort to such measures in order to clandestinely acquire your unlocked phone.”

            In this case he was on parole where they have the right to search him. That mention of blood draw etc, you’re already under arrest and they can search your person anyway.

            I’m not aware of any law where a cop can walk up to you on the street and demand they unlock your phone with biometrics and search it without cause.