DMV to issue new anti-fraud tech and QR codes to speed wait times
The Department of Motor Vehicles is instituting new bar codes on identification documents and QR codes to further crack down on fraud and speed up wait times, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The White House has increasingly cited vague claims of “fraud” in California to justify intervening in state agencies in recent months. Last week, a task force led by Vice President JD Vance claimed victory after the federal government suspended the licenses for 70 Los Angeles-based hospice providers. Newsom said in response the state had suspended new licenses since 2022.
On Tuesday, Newsom said the DMV would add new digital signatures to the back of drivers’ licenses and ID cards so card readers could detect whether a signature was valid or had been altered. Residents will not have to get new IDs before they expire.
The agency will also start allowing people to scan QR codes at office entrances to allow people to immediately check in and get in line instead of having to wait to check in at front desks.
“California is stepping up its fight against fraud — full stop. We’re strengthening security at the DMV, doubling down on protections that safeguard people’s identities and personal information. That’s what accountability looks like,” Newsom said in a statement.
The DMV was one of Newsom’s first targets for action when he first entered office in 2019. That year, he employed a strike team to overhaul the “chronically mismanaged” agency, which had struggled to issue federally required Real ID cards and long wait times.
