Utah Launches Pioneering Pilot on Mobile Driver’s License

WALTHAM, Mass. and BOSTON and SALT LAKE CITY, March 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Utah Driver License Division (DLD) has launched a mobile driver license (mDL) pilot for offering driver's licenses and ID cards on mobile phones. The pilot will demonstrate improvement in citizen privacy and security, while highlighting the convenience and safety of tap and go transactions. It will use a fully ISO 18013–5–compliant mobile app, following the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) mDL Implementation Guidelines.

The new mDLs are a secure, contactless digital form of ID that give citizens control of their identity data. They choose the personal information they share with businesses. The pilot will build public acceptance of mDL in real–world scenarios such as banking, travel, traffic stops, and restaurant and liquor store transactions that require age verification. Building an open ecosystem during the pilot where mDLs are accepted at many businesses will pave the way for making mDLs viable for all of Utah's more than two million licensed drivers. Utahns may be able to leave their wallet at home soon.

Unlike other pilots, Utah will fully utilize the ISO 18013–5 standard for mDL, which provides the benefit of cryptographic proof of identity that prevents forgery and cannot be achieved by simply showing your phone screen to a clerk at a business.

"Our Driver License Division is committed to working with residents and stakeholders to implement a solution which provides the highest value to Utahns: one which is accepted anywhere and provides enhanced privacy, security and personal control," said Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess L. Anderson. "Utahns' privacy is of the utmost importance to us and the mDL gives them control over their data. They choose what information to share when their identification is requested."

For mDL, Utah DLD has tapped GET Group North America and its technology partner Scytles to provide GET Mobile ID, an ISO 18013–5–compliant application that puts an official driver's license or ID Card on a citizen's smartphone. The Contactless ID document can be verified with a tap or scan and is accepted worldwide using any ISO 18013–5–compliant reader, such as GET Mobile Verify. The GET/Scytles mDL technology was the first to pass the formal conformity assessment testing, meant to ensure compliance to the stringent standards that allow for global acceptance.

"Utah DLD has incredible foresight and timing to lead the world with standardized mDLs. We are proud to support Utah DLD as they begin launching a full–scale mDL program," said Alex Kambanis, President and Managing Director of GET Group North America. "COVID has accelerated the importance of Contactless ID for both citizens and the businesses that accept ID. Utah DLD is providing Utah residents a huge benefit with financial, security and health–related impacts."

"Utahns will now lead the country in having the benefit of a completely secure, privacy–centered, standardized form of mobile ID. Our team looks forward to supporting Utah in its pioneering role in implementing the very first fully ISO–compliant mDL," said Geoff Slagle, President & Chief Business Development Officer at Scytles, Inc.

The pilot will begin with approximately 100 select participants and expand to 10,000 participants including the broader public during 2021. Utah businesses can participate in the pilot to accept mDLs now and prepare for when mDL is available to all Utahns.

About GET Group North America
GET Group North America and its partners develop, manufacture, and implement end–to–end solutions for secure physical and mobile credentials that enable government agencies, motor vehicle departments, municipalities law enforcement organizations, and other entities to leverage the latest in secure identity management technologies. From photo ID cards, driver's licenses and passports, to mDLs and mIDs, GET Group NA delivers advanced issuance, verification and personalization capabilities that prevent identification fraud, accommodate diversified customer needs, and support the future of ID use cases.

PR Contact
Jordan Bouclin
SVM Public Relations
Jordan.bouclin@svmpr.com
(401)490–9700

About Scytles
Scytles is breaking new ground by developing and offering ISO–compliant Mobile Driver Licenses, Mobile IDs, derived Mobile IDs and Mobile Vaccination Passports as a complement to Security Printed Documents, and Validation mechanisms in real–time in online and offline modes. The company participates as experts in Mobile Identity through the standardization body (SIS) and participates on the Task Force 14 on Mobile Driving Licences within ISO/IEC JTC1/SC17/WG10. Scytles is also providing a Credential Service Provider (CSP), an ICAO 9303/PKD PKI, supporting multiple Mobile DLs/IDs and online identity validation providers. Scytles lays the foundation for a comprehensive lineup of online digital services, serving billions of users, as well as enabling high–security printed documents and banknotes to go digital and mobile.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dfabf6d3–46ba–4c7b–8232–fb77f742d2d0


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8208812)

Report finds accelerated demand for graduate business degrees in 2021 amid declining concerns about COVID-19

RESTON, Va., March 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Interest in graduate management education (GME) programs in 2021 continues to grow among prospective students, a trend that coincides with waning concerns about the impact of COVID–19, according to a new report published today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The Council's 2021 mba.com Prospective Students Survey Report finds that the proportion of respondents reporting that they are extremely or very concerned about COVID–19 declined from 41 to 33 percent over the survey period. In addition, three in four (73%) international candidates planning to pursue an MBA outside their country of citizenship are not changing their original plans despite the pandemic.

Key Findings

Women candidates are more receptive to remote learning than men

Although studies have suggested that the impact of COVID–19 has been particularly severe on women as they shouldered more responsibilities of remote education and work, GMAC report has found that many female candidates remain undeterred and are willing to adapt their plans for higher education. Specifically, women candidates are more likely to seek the flexibility of online learning than men. They are willing to accept a higher proportion of their degree to be completed online and are more likely to agree that career opportunities gained through an on–campus graduate business degree are the same as those gained through an online degree.

"As vaccines become increasingly available, prospective students around the world are seeing light at the end of the tunnel regarding the global pandemic," said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. "It is especially encouraging to find female candidates seeking advanced business degrees for career advantages despite the unique challenges and barriers they face due to COVID–19."

More candidates are considering GME to upgrade skills amidst COVID uncertainties

While more than half of prospective candidates (58%) confirmed that they "always plan to pursue a graduate business degree at this point," over a third of the prospective candidates (37%) reported that they are seeking GME now because they "want to apply for a job but lack required skills and/or degree to be competitive." The accelerated demand for GME may be a result of the fact that more candidates recognize the need to emerge out of a shaky economy more career ready.

"COVID–19 has fundamentally disrupted the future of work and the skills that are required for future success," said Soojin Kwon, Managing Director, Full Time MBA Admissions & Program at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and GMAC Board Director. "This is something that business schools are fully aware of and adapting to as candidates seek to upgrade their professional and leadership skills to meet the demands of the rapidly changing workplace."

International candidates still prefer mobility over online

Over 40 percent of international candidates "" those who wish to study outside of their country of citizenship "" surveyed report working outside their country of citizenship as the primary career motivation. The opportunities to live and work abroad explain why international candidates (70%) are more likely to report that they are not changing their original plans compared to domestic candidates (52%) amidst a global pandemic. Most international candidates therefore continue to value mobility and do not prefer substituting in–person experience with online learning.

United States and United Kingdom remain top destinations for international students

International candidates continue to look to the US as one of their top three choices to study business abroad. Prospective students from India rank the US their top choice, ahead of their home country, while those from Canada and the UK pick the US as their first international destination. Prospective candidates from Greater China identify the United Kingdom (27%) to be their preferred study destination, followed by the United States (21%) and Singapore (12%). Rising tension between the US and China in recent years may have discouraged prospective Chinese students from coming to America for their advanced degrees, coupled with the growth of high–quality business school programs in China and the Asia Pacific region.

More on the GMAC Survey Series

The mba.com Prospective Students Survey was conducted based on data collected on a monthly basis between July and December 2020 from a total of 2,515 individuals worldwide who indicated plans to enroll in a GME program in 2021. More than 7 million candidates on their business master's or MBA journey visited mba.com last year to explore business school options, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on the admissions process.

The 2020 GMAC Application Trends Survey, released in November 2020, gathered and analyzed responses from over 1,000 graduate management programs worldwide to find that applications to graduate business school programs went up, with variations in growth rates by region and program due to online learning, travel, and visa concerns. This report and additional research on global trends in graduate management education are available on the GMAC website here.

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission–driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC creates solutions and experiences that enable business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate, and connect with each other.

GMAC provides world–class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment; GMAC also owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC (NMAT) exam and the Executive Assessment (EA). BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contacts:
Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
202–390–4180 (mobile)
thsu@gmac.com


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8208648)