The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), in partnership with the OpenID Foundation, recently hosted two groundbreaking hackathons aimed at advancing digital identity through California’s mobile Driver’s License (mDL). With over 100 attendees at both events, they were more than simply technical exercises; they were pivotal moments in the evolution of digital identity, bringing together diverse stakeholders to explore real-world use cases and solve pressing challenges.

As a global leader in identity standards, the OpenID Foundation is proud to have co-hosted these hackathons, which not only showcased the potential of mDLs, but also set a precedent for future collaborations between public and private sectors and how we can ‘cross the chasm’ to achieve widespread adoption of digital identity credentials as a ‘public good.’ 

From Mountain View to Sacramento: Two hackathons that mattered

The first hackathon, held in Mountain View, brought together over 50 participants from leading private sector companies and start-ups. These teams explored practical and privacy-focused applications for mDLs, demonstrating their value in industries like financial services, retail, healthcare, and entertainment.

Several teams at this first event were recognised for their outstanding contributions, including OpenID members: 

• CISCO for ‘Most Promising Use Case’ on using mDL as a root digital identity to enable password-less authentication.
• Block for ‘Best Privacy and Security Design’ for their use case on leveraging mDL for point-of-sale age verification of age-restricted products sold by Square merchants.
• MATTR, together with Samsung, Treez and Nuvei, for ‘Best Presentation’ for their use case on mDL for identity and age verification in cannabis dispensary and delivery services.

The second event in Sacramento shifted the focus to public sector use cases. With participation from an impressive range of government entities like the U.S. Air Force, the California Highway Patrol, and the City of Los Angeles, teams tackled diverse applications ranging from helping people apply for government jobs and streamlining access to government services, to emergency and disaster assistance to accelerate and simplify access for those displaced. The teams recognised for their outstanding contribution to this second hackathon, included:

• California Office of Data and Innovation for ‘Best Overall Solution and Most User-Friendly Design’.
• California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for ‘Best Value to the Residents’.
• California Highway Patrol with their hackathon partner Credence ID for ‘Most Viable Implementation’.

Both events attracted over 50 observers, all critical stakeholders playing a key role in promoting secure, privacy-protecting, and interoperable digital identity solutions that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

The success of both events was the result of meticulous planning and a targeted outreach strategy from both the CA DMV and the OpenID Foundation. By ensuring each team that participated represented a real-world challenge that a private entity or public agency is trying to tackle today, the hackathons delivered relevant, practical, and valuable outcomes.

Moving the digital identity ecosystem out of the ‘Cold Start Problem’

One of the most significant challenges for emerging identity ecosystems is the ‘Cold Start Problem’—the difficulty of gaining traction on both sides of the market. The hackathons addressed this by actively engaging verifiers—businesses and government agencies that need to consume and verify identity information. Basic tasks like setting up California test credentials and pointing out standards and reference code, were part of the support extended to hackathon participants before the event.

By doing so, the events not only demonstrated the value of mDLs, but also created a virtuous cycle of adoption. Leading edge developers were given a safe space to innovate, knowing that they would have expert support and a route to live production, executives within their businesses could see real live demonstrations of the technology and how it could be used to deliver customer value, and observers from across the community could see the technology and the range of use cases.

A true focus on collaboration and engagement

What set these hackathons apart was their focus on engagement. In addition to a series of presentations, the events featured live demonstrations and interactive sessions. Teams were provided dedicated time to interact with and learn from each other. Observers could engage directly with teams, explore use cases, and provide immediate feedback.  This dynamic environment fostered meaningful connections and has spurred further collaborations. 

A commitment to open standards and transparency

The California DMV’s commitment to transparency and open standards was evident throughout these hackathons, and the OpenID Foundation’s involvement was instrumental in this regard. 

By incorporating the ISO 18013-5, W3C Verifiable Credentials, and the OpenID for Verifiable Credentials (OIDC4VC) specifications, the DMV demonstrated its commitment to aligning its mDL infrastructure with global standards. The presence of so many community experts as technical support, judges, and peers  enabled hackathon participants to benefit from critical feedback on their use cases, provide standards leaders with feedback on the specifications, and help observers appreciate the tangibility of the solutions.  

This collaboration underscored the important role independent, non-profit standards bodies can play in government-led digital infrastructure projects.

Momentum and next steps

The hackathons have proven to be catalysts for ongoing innovation. Many of the participating teams have continued to develop their solutions, while new stakeholders—both from within and outside California—have expressed interest in participating in future initiatives. For instance, the second hackathon led to follow-up discussions with the Mexican government about potential proof-of-concept projects. Furthermore, governments from the U.S., Europe, and Australia have expressed interest in hosting similar events in 2025.

The OpenID Foundation and the California DMV are now exploring ways to broaden access to the CA mDL test credentials for verifiers and other critical stakeholders. This will help accelerate the development of new use cases and drive wider acceptance and use of mDLs.

Moreover, the success of these hackathons highlights the need for more such events. They provided a unique platform for developers, user experience professionals, and business and product leaders to experiment with digital identity technologies in the run up to live deployments.

For anyone interested in learning more about the hackathons, the CA DMV is hosting a public briefing on January 10, 2025 from 12-1pm PST. 

Join the movement and help shape the future of digital identity

The OpenID Foundation is now inviting companies, government agencies, and non-profits to collaborate and make a difference in advancing privacy-preserving identity solutions. Whether through hackathons, workshops, or other forms of engagement, there are myriad opportunities to contribute to this vital work and help build an identity ecosystem that is secure, user-friendly, and inclusive. 

For more information on upcoming events and how to participate, visit the OpenID Foundation’s website or contact us directly. 

About the OpenID Foundation

The OpenID Foundation (OIDF) is a global open standards body committed to helping people assert their identity wherever they choose. Founded in 2007, we are a community of technical experts leading the creation of open identity standards that are secure, interoperable, and privacy preserving. The Foundation’s OpenID Connect standard is now used by billions of people across millions of applications. In the last five years, the Financial Grade API has become the standard of choice for Open Banking and Open Data implementations, allowing people to access and share data across entities. Today, the OpenID Foundation’s standards are the connective tissue to enable people to assert their identity and access their data at scale, the scale of the internet, enabling “networks of networks” to interoperate globally. Individuals, companies, governments and non-profits are encouraged to join or participate. Find out more at openid.net.