Nebraska DMV Deploys System to Authenticate Driver Licenses

The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is leading the fight against fake IDs and related safety issues by equipping DMV offices around the state with the ability to inspect and authenticate driver licenses secured with Digimarc IDMarc digital watermarks.

This summer, Nebraska plans to put new Digimarc Document Inspector units into production at DMVs across the state, arming front-office operators with the tools to inspect and positively authenticate the millions of U.S. driver licenses secured with Digimarc IDMarc digital watermarking. Authentication will occur when Nebraska and other State driver licenses are presented as proof of identity to obtain a new or renewal driver license. This includes licenses from neighboring states such as Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Wyoming -- effectively removing the guesswork that can come with visually inspecting an out-of-state ID.

Digimarc anticipates that more than one in three driver licenses issued in the U.S. in 2006 will carry the IDMarc feature.

The rollout of new digital watermark authentication capabilities in Nebraska follows the state's successful pilot of the technology under a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Conducted in 2005, the pilot enabled law enforcement, retailers and the Nebraska DMV to inspect and authenticate Nebraska driver licenses secured with digital watermarking-based security features.

"We were honored to have participated in the Department of Transportation driver license authentication pilot," said Beverly Neth, director, Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, "which gave our staff, the police and retailers a new and very effective tool for authenticating Nebraska driver licenses and preventing under-aged kids from obtaining or using fake IDs to purchase alcohol and drive. As a result of that important program, we are pleased to extend the success of the pilot into our day-to-day operations and continue the work we started to keep our citizens' identities and our State's roads safe."

Nebraska will discuss its experiences with the pilot at the AAMVA Region III conference to be held in Omaha, Nebraska, July 11-13, 2006.