Vicroads' Digital Drivers Licence Ballarat trial off to shaky start with emails containing wrong names

Vicroads has apologised for a technical error resulting in mass confusion and data security fears among Ballarat residents on Wednesday night.

A direct email sent to eligible driver licence holders in the Ballarat region contained an incorrect name that did not match with the email and first or surname of the impacted customer.

The email was an invitation to participate in a Digital Driver Licence pilot starting in Ballarat in July.

Vicroads has assured licence holders the email was not a scam perpetrated by a third party and no details - other than names - were incorrectly shared.

It's understood the mistake was limited to the organisation's electronic direct mail system and did not impact the integrity of the Victorian Licensing Registry.

Vicroads has since stopped the direct mail distribution and its technical team is reviewing systems and processes to determine how the error occurred and stop it happening again.

Registration and Licensing Services chief executive Dean Tillotson said in a statement:

"We apologise to customers in Ballarat impacted by an error in the email inviting them to sign up for the digital driver licence pilot.

"The error is limited to an incorrect name reflected on the direct email and no other personal information has been disclosed."

EARLIER:

Ballarat residents were scratching their heads over a major stuff up in Vicroads' Digital Drivers Licence roll out on Wednesday night.

The digital identification technology - touted as "an easy, convenient and secure way to verify your identity" - misidentified licence holders, sending out emails pairing the correct first name with an incorrect surname.

The emails did not contain digital drivers licences - which become available to download in Ballarat next month - but asked recipients to register their interest in using the technology to carry their licence on their phone.

It's not a great start for the opt-in system, which is being trialled in Ballarat before a state-wide rollout next year.

The digital licence is said to be more secure than a physical card version, as it can only be accessed through a PIN or biometric authentication.

It's also supposed to help streamline the licence validation process for organisations like Victoria Police.

Vicroads has been contacted for comment.

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