California Law Demands Age Verification in All OSes, Including Linux

Description

A screenshot of a PC Gamer (@pcgamer) tweet on X.com with the headline: 'A new California law says all operating systems, including Linux, need to have some form of age verification at account setup'. The embedded link card from pcgamer.com shows California Governor Gavin Newsom in a navy blazer holding a microphone and gesturing with a raised fist, with the same headline overlaid at the bottom. The humor for developers lies in the regulatory absurdity of mandating age verification in Linux - a decentralized, open-source ecosystem with thousands of distros and no central 'account setup' authority - highlighting how legislators write tech laws without understanding how the tech works

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Linux OperatingSystems CyberLaw LinuxDistributions OpenSource DataPrivacyRegulations ComplianceRequirements Compliance

Comments

Anonymous ★ Top Pick Can't wait for `sudo useradd --verify-age` - enforcement handled by an unmaintained PAM module compiled from an AUR package

Anonymous ★ Top Pick

Can't wait for `sudo useradd --verify-age` - enforcement handled by an unmaintained PAM module compiled from an AUR package
Anonymous

Linux is 34; unfortunately, `www-data` left its ID at home.
@TheFloofyFloof 5mo

It just requires either the birthdate or age to be set for an account along with an API to access the age range (not the age/birthdate)
@TheFloofyFloof 5mo

Wouldn't be difficult to add support even on headless systems, though I doubt it even applies there
@deimossos 5mo

Another instance of a politician, that doesn't know what he is talking about
1. @TheFloofyFloof 5mo
  
  Did you ever read the proposed law?
  
  @deimossos 5mo
  
  Not yet
  
  @TheFloofyFloof 5mo
  
  https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043
  
  @SamsonovAnton 5mo
  
  So, what is the purpose, and how are they going to verify the age?
  
  @TheFloofyFloof 5mo
  
  they aren't really verifying age, just providing a age signal that apps and sites are expected to trust
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  I have been reading the law from your link. As I understand it, the law is way more reasonable that the text in the post suggests. The bill is titled "Age verification signal", but in the text they don't ask for formal verification. They ask to have a field when you setup your account on the OS where you can put either a birthdate or an age bracket. Then the OS should provide an API to query the age bracket of the user (under 13, 13-16, 16-18, 18 or more). App dev should query the info and provide/restrict feature according to that age bracket. The law asks that app don't forward that info to 3rd party.
  
  @TheFloofyFloof 5mo
  
  yup
  
  @kandiesky 5mo
  
  It doesn't matter that it looks more reasonable, it will not effectively be reasonable. Even the thought of that law is unreasonable and it's cost is absurd and retarded, like almost everything the government does
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  What do you mean by "it will not effectively be reasonable" ? What I wanted to say by "more reasonable that the post suggest" is that when we have "some form of age verification" written, we think of ID verification or facial recognition. But the law just ask for self reported age, like on the Steam store page. So I think the post is at least deceptive, if not misinformation. I'm not for or against that law, I just don't like misinformation. Would you rather give your birthday date to telegram and every other platform that requires it to use their services ? Or enter it once on your OS and it would just tell the telegram app: "yes this user is above 18" ? As for the cost for app dev, its easier to program an API call to an OS than making the UI that ask for your age, then store it securely etc..., even if both are not hard to do.
  
  @kandiesky 5mo
  
  I'd rather not provide any personal information, as it isn't necessary. Also, laws like these are a slippery slope. They start with something "simple and agreeable," and then later evolve into draconian measures of control - which is exactly what will happen in this case.
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  Yes sure I also would prefer not to share anything, but private companies love to ask for data to use their free services, unless there is a law to prevent that like GDPR, it's their right. As for the slipery slope argument that a logical fallacy so I cannot really argue with that.
  
  @kandiesky 5mo
  
  Being a logical fallacy doesn't mean it's wrong, as it's been proven time and time again with these kind of laws. Also, the problem isn't private companies asking for data, it's the government. You're not obligated to give your data to private entities.
  
  @tema3210 5mo
  
  And between governments and privates - privates are smh more trustworthy to me.
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  The problem with these sorts of laws is they open the gate to add the actual verification in the future. There is parent control software you can install as a parent if you are worried about your children, you can set up website whitelisting for your children's accounts. Putting age restrictions in the domain of what the government does or in the domain of what the software devs are responsible for is a mistake. Look at the UK, that is the end of this path and it starts with these kinds of laws.
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  I agree that it should be the parents responsibility to active parental control on devices. Then the dev should query that API and display content accordingly.
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Maybe they should, but the laws usually dictate what you must do. That is not the governments place to tell companies how they must implement age control, especially in terms of a blanket rule and not specifically in regards to nsfw content like gambling
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  But at the very least, why is this compulsory even in cases where there are no and maybe will not ever be any apps for the OS that are age-restricted and talk to the Internet? Like firmware for calculators, as I have seen people talking about
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  As I understand it when I read it, the law only applies to OS with accounts. So it would not apply to OS that runs on embedded systems. As for OS with admin account, like for router, servers, etc... I don't know. This should have been better defined in the law in my opinion.
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  Of course there is no guarantees that an 8 year old won't encounter gore IRL, but is that possibility alone a reason to give up on preventing exposure through a display ? I remember being a bit disturbed by some killings in movies that were rated above my age when I was a kid already. I'm glad I did not find war footage or worse. But at the end of the day I would say, the reasons to prevent some contents are to try avoiding potential trauma or addictions that could affect kids way more than adults. Other stuff like: believes, ideology, etc.. are not restricted and I don't think this is seriously considered by lawmakers, at least not in EU/US. (you can maybe find some exception of course like everywhere).
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  This gives even more ways of power on a child and the legitimacy to use it to the IRL parents and can increase the risks of that
  
  @cacojo15 5mo
  
  Sorry, maybe I misunderstood, when you say "the legitimacy to use it to the IRL parents and can increase the risks of that", what is "it" and "that" in "the risks of that" ?
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  I wanted to say, this gives even more means of power on a child and the legitimacy to use this power to the IRL parents and can thus increase the risks of encounter gore IRL (as children are more isolated and deprived of rights and maintained in control by their parents in the country, that what such laws signify)
@macabre133 5mo

I'm sure root comes preverified
@kobe_koto 5mo

Can't wait to see Persona being integrated into Linux kernel
@afdanilkin 5mo

Why parents and government can classify people into four age groups to impose restrictions on access to information and communication, why is this fine at all?
1. @azizhakberdiev 5mo
  
  Information isn't just an inanimate toy. A grown up with a strong stomach and broad worldview can probably take anything without much effort, but when you expose children they may develop trauma or erroneous beliefs
  
  @feedable 5mo
  
  and how does one develop a broad worldview?
  
  @azizhakberdiev 5mo
  
  live long enough to see the real world
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  How can you see the real world then, and not only a small part of it that surrounds you that can be arbitrarily horrible?
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  But that’s the point! Access to information available on the Internet and a possibility to talk to people online and collaborate with them can allow some children to discover more diversified ideas than that of their biggoted parents, develop a better worldview than one imposed by the dictatorship they live in, and to socialize and participate in shared activities with people when it is impossible to do so with ones comprising their violent surroundings
  
  @azizhakberdiev 5mo
  
  Do you even know what you are talking about? There are people who spread extremistic or suicidal ideas exatly to the children. It may affect only one or two at most through internet. But what happens after it does affect someone? The kid goes and shows it to his friend which also gets interested. Others become curious too, but later it may spread uncontrollably because of peer pressure
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  How is it possible that all the authority pressure of the society, parents, teachers, classmates, textbooks not be stronger in the peer ground than some craze some child read somewhere?
  
  @feedable 5mo
  
  because authority is not persuasive
  
  @evankh 5mo
  
  Access to free, uncensored information is a human right. Doesn't matter how old you are
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  No, it's not, wtf? Is it my human right to see your full uncensored medical history? There is absolutely information that is restricted for a good reason
  
  @tema3210 5mo
  
  Any human may know how to do anything - just because. Any argumentation against it is the same as "why do you need to decide for yourself? Just do as told" (knowledge is prerequisite to freedom, and censorship is already borderline on slavery)
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Any human can know anything, that doesn't mean anyone should easily get any public info
  
  @tema3210 5mo
  
  No, it absolutely means. Or scrap info from public space if you don't want it accessible. But then info isn't public. Note: debate on what should be public info is separate
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Removing public info from the public domain is called censorship
  
  @tema3210 5mo
  
  Fair. Then absolutely don't allow leakages) afterall, pipe bomb recipes have leaked years ago, many drug syntheses also have. Take care of the private details such as crypto keys, passwords, sensitive document IDs, etc. Ppl already do this.
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Sure, my original point is that there is no human basic right to uncensored information
  
  @tema3210 5mo
  
  But you literally cannot access uncensored information, if you can access it - it's by definition public. Like having a right doesn't imply having an ability. But reverse holds.
  
  @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Having a human right to unrestricted uncensored information implies that censorship is against human rights, I am saying that it's not
  
  @Daonifur 5mo
  
  Even though they're incredibly easy to make. Just stick any explosive in a pipe and cap it, pipe bomb
  
  @azizhakberdiev 5mo
  
  kids are free to access that, nobody is gonna arrest them for watching some nsfw by accident It's just will not be flashing all over the screen if they accidentally search something similar
2. @cacojo15 5mo
  
  That is a good question actually. I think there are thing that are more or less obvious to me like gambling or graphic/gore footage when you are 8 year old, but for the rest I would agree with you.
  
  @afdanilkin 5mo
  
  The thing is, in the society there are no effective guarantees that a 8 year olds (which are in almost complete control of their powerful parents) will not see this “gore” closer to them than on a device screen…
@azizhakberdiev 5mo

it implies telling them what to avoid exactly
@feedable 5mo

Well parents may actually just not notice
1. @feedable 5mo
  
  that happens now and will happen in the future, and it's a cost that has to be beared
2. @death_by_oom 5mo
  
  Well maybe it's better to focus on educating parents on how to better teach their children how to use the internet then invest in a fucking surveillance state?
  
  @feedable 5mo
  
  Of course it is, yes, there is a whole separate discussion about this in the actual chat
@afdanilkin 5mo

Is this sarcasm?
@afdanilkin 5mo

Ah, but in this last message I talked about IRL experiences too
@afdanilkin 5mo

The parents do not necessary have this know-how themselves
@Daonifur 5mo

Suddenly all people in California stopped using electronics
1. @MilesTFox 2mo
  
  When the grid collapses due to all the EVs, they will.
@Dark_Lord_of_Debian 5mo

Me (seeing age verification): January 1st, 1900 looks like a good year... Default age, here I come!
Burak 1mo

Go back to Windows 3.1, without accounts...

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California Law Demands Age Verification in All OSes, Including Linux

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