Pennsylvania took a ride a few miles farther down the information highway recently when the state House approved two measures that would allow people to carry digital versions of their drivers licenses and vehicle registrations on their phones.

House Bill 1970 and House Bill 2710 got huge bipartisan support, a nod, in effect, to changing lifestyles across the state.

Today, many people – with some estimates at around 90% -- have close ties to their smartphones.

Nearly every part of their lives involves their cell phones.

And everything people do with their phones involves some degree of privacy. Every app, text, video and call leaves an electronic footprint.

And every photo, message or email could be open to see by unwanted eyes.

The drivers license bill, HB1790, hopes to get ahead of some privacy concerns. Lawmakers talked with PennDOT and police to put in place rules that limit officers’ access to only the license – and not other items on the phone. In addition, it limits data collection and sets strict verification standards. It also requires PennDOT to issue a yearly report on how the system is performing.

The other bill, regarding registrations, isn’t quite as prying, especially since there’s not much more than ownership and plate information.

Though participating is optional, the privacy concerns don’t go away.

The way PennDOT sets up the program could turn the convenience into a surveillance tool.

In many states with the program, civil liberties groups have been concerned for years. The ACLU warns that police access to phones be limited, and should give users control over how their information is shared.

Without those protections, a digital license could turn into a backdoor to someone’s digital life.

Twenty-one states already offer digital IDs, many through things like Apple Wallet. Some of those states use two-factor identification or biometrics and call for alerts if there are any status changes.

But even those things aren’t foolproof.

Mobile licenses could become surveillance tools for governments or corporations, only because smartphones already are gathering and sharing all kinds of personal information.

Think about it.

Could things like where people go, or where they show an ID become part of the mix if they’re added to a statewide system?

Here in Pennsylvania, the bills try to avoid those traps, instead keeping physical licenses mandatory for traffic stops and by limiting what access officers have.

But for now, there are no safeguards since neither of the bills have made it into law.

Could PennDOT contract with a third-party software firm that might provide information?

Will the digital ID work offline or will it leave a trail of every place it’s opened?

Might any data that’s collected be shared somewhere down the road?

There aren’t any guarantees.

Many of the conveniences that smartphones offer aren’t inherently dangerous.

At the same time, they’re not always neutral.

When the state moves documents that identify us onto devices that already track movement, habits and communications, lawmakers need to make sure that privacy isn’t just an afterthought.

The way it looks now, our state’s approach is promising. It’s been debated and the bills remain optional and not mandatory.

But like those smartphones watch us, we learn from others.

Other states have learned that the difference between a system that works and a surveillance tool is simply being vigilant.

That needs constant oversight and the openness to change as technology expands.

Making things convenient takes some work.

Keeping them private is a full-time job.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 45 years’ experience in community journalism.