Summary
- California (AB 1856) and Colorado (SB 26-051) have enacted laws requiring operating systems to implement device-level age verification but have specifically exempted open-source software.
- These mandates require “Operating System Providers” to collect a user’s age during account setup and share a non-identifiable “age signal” with third-party apps.
- Following significant backlash from open source community, both states narrowed their definitions to exclude Linux and open source software distributed under licenses that allow users to copy, redistribute, and modify the code.
- While a pure Linux distribution is exempt, platforms like Valve’s SteamOS may still fall under the mandate. This is because SteamOS ships with a proprietary storefront and client.
- Similarly, while Android is technically open source, the version shipped on most phones includes proprietary Google Play Services, which would likely trigger the mandate.
No but it’s at least a delay in this draconian bullshit, and maybe we’ll get lucky and neither are smart enough to know what Linux is
It’s not a delay. It’s a trojan horse. First you fuck with the closed source OSes and then later when everyone is cool with that you can just do the same to linux and say “look at windows, they’re fine. you’ll be fine too.”
I think it’s more that someone managed to explain to them in words they could understand how unenforceable it was, and having it be unenforceable for some weakens the law’s standing as a whole. Now it doesn’t because they aren’t required to try.
As I posted elsewhere:
When I spoke with Wicks’ staffers in charge of this, they said that the reason behind it is that California has age restrictions for various kinds of sites and applications (no porn apps under 18, restrictions on social media and chat for kids, etc). The various big tech companies said they didn’t want to be responsible for figuring out how to track and verify all that, so they asked for something that would mean they didn’t have to.
The bill was originally written with that as the background, and they specifically added language about just trusting what was entered and not collecting identification past that.
I got the impression that the staffers were intelligent, thoughtful people, just with no experience or knowledge of non big tech stuff. They have been living in the Apple/Microsoft/Google world like most normies. They were very surprised and intrigued when I told them that Debian collects no information on users. One said they were interested in giving Linux a try because of how bad Windows 11 is.
That’s true my only question is with Linux its physically impossible to implement due to two questions.
When does Linux become an operating system? The answer is no one knows since it can be a full DE or a kennel and init system and a shell and there is no standard init system who do you regulate.
Who owns Linux? The answer is when you install Linux at that time you are also forking Linux so the answer is you own it. So its no one and everyone at the same time. If north Korea can use Linux and make their own distro and sanctions can’t do anything about it. This law can’t stop anyone at home or distro based in another Country from just ripping out any chuck of code that is put in by this law.
If the current draft passes, it does something as well. Websites that want or have to rely on the signal will do it. Linux users will have to implement something if they want to access them. Parents that want to limit the access for their children on linux will be looking for implementations and use them. Everything happening without forcing the distributions.
Have you read the bill? This is explicitly NOT aimed at websites but at apps. I’m not defending it, but be angry about what it actually is.
No. I think a chunk of this is aimed at open source.
The people who wrote the bill, who I have actually spoken with rather than speculating, didn’t know what open source means. Like most normal people, they only know Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
They do know open source is now, which is why they have started modifying the bill. I’m not defending it, but contex is important.