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Capital area businesses considering scrapping LA Wallet as valid form of ID
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BATON ROUGE - If you are one of the 1.5 million Louisiana residents who use LA Wallet regularly as a form of identification, you might want to prepare for a debate at the check out counter.
Some businesses in the capital area are warning customers to carry a plastic ID card, in case they decide that LA Wallet is no longer accepted to purchase things like alcohol.
“A lot of large companies, including banks, they don’t really know about LA Wallet and how well-distributed it is. So, I can’t blame them, I would just like to let them know that this is very legal and even a better identification than the plastic credential. It’s more reliable," said Calvin Fabre, President of Envoc and creator of the LA Wallet app.
Fabre believes the law established in 2020 with House Bill 54 allows users explicit ability to use the app as an official form of identification.
“They would be going against established law in Louisiana. There are a few exceptions but retail establishments are required to accept the state official digital driver’s license, which is LA Wallet," Fabre said.
Spokespeople from the ATC, OMV and State Police could not answer the question of whether a business would be breaking that law if they were to deny the use of LA Wallet, although it is an acceptable form of ID in the eyes of the state of Louisiana.
At least one business says there are concerns about hacking and verification within the digital app, which is why workers at the checkout lines are recommending customers carry a hard ID as a backup.
According to Fabre, the LA Wallet app is more secure and reliable than a tangible card. In fact, it can be used to scan plastic IDs to verify their legitimacy.
“Early on with LA Wallet, the bars would use the scan feature of it to verify plastic credentials. They loved it because there’s a lot of fake credentials out there and the bars can now see, oh this is a valid plastic credential," Fabre said.
It's unclear if anyone would police how IDs are checked. Fabre warns if a business takes a step away from LA Wallet, it will be a step in the wrong direction.
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