You can pay for admission to national parks with Apple Pay starting in September

Apple Pay is less than a year old, but it’s already coming to the federal government. Starting in September, you’ll be able to use it to pay for some government services, including national parks, Apple CEO Tim Cook said today. Cook, who is speaking at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection, said Apple Pay would integrate with a range of government services. Government employees’ procurement cards will integrate with Apple Pay, Cook said. Apple is also working to integrate Apple Pay with Social Security and veterans’ benefits.

Cook said Apple was determined to end our reliance on physical wallets. “We can imagine a day the not-so-distant future when your wallet becomes a remnant of the past,” he said. “Your passport, your driver’s license, and other important documents can be digitally stored in a way that’s safe, secure, and easy to access.”

Cook also addressed the need for improved security around the data we store online. But he did not directly address the fallout from last fall’s celebrity hacking incident, which saw hundreds of nude photos published online after hackers were able to gain celebrities’ iCloud credentials. Instead, he spoke more generally about the importance of building strong security measures. “If we don’t do everything we can to protect privacy, we risk more than money. We risk our way of life,” he said.