California's age verification law is proving controversial - here's what you
need to know, and why some Linux distros are in the firing line

By Darren Allan published 17 hours ago

Smaller, more niche Linux distros could be left out in the cold

    California's Digital Age Assurance Act comes into effect on January 1, 2027
    The legislation means any OS will need to collect age data at setup
    This will be a self-reported age declaration with no verification, but it
could prove problematic in some ways - particularly for some Linux distros

California has new legislation, which means that any provider of an operating
system must ascertain the age of the user setting up the OS.

As Tom's Hardware reports, this is California's Digital Age Assurance Act (AB
1043), and it comes into effect on January 1, 2027.

As of next year, any operating system will need to not only collect age data at
setup, but also transmit that data to developers of any apps running on the OS
via a real-time API.

That's to facilitate software developers being able to verify any age
requirements when their apps are downloaded or run. Under the legislation, OS
users will be categorized into four age brackets: under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17,
and 18 or older.

The idea is that developers are then responsible for applying verification
based on the provided age. If the content of the app isn't age-appropriate, the
onus is on the developer to ensure the person cannot use the software, or the
dev is liable and will be penalized to the tune of up to $2,500 per affected
child (for negligent violations - intentional violations run up to a fine of
$7,500 in each instance).

However, it's a simple self-reported age check; there's no photo ID
verification or similar process (as is the case in other US states with this
kind of regulation).

As Tom's Hardware points out, there's a broad definition of an operating system
provider, which is any organization that "develops, licenses, or controls the
operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general
purpose computing device".

Any OS platform - be it mobile or desktop - is subject to AB 1043, whether
that's the giants like Android and iOS, Windows 11, or smaller desktop fry like
macOS and Linux. The latter is a wide net, of course, and includes the likes of
handhelds running SteamOS.

Analysis: complications around trust

Of course, a trust-based age-verification system is problematic because a child
can simply lie about their age to get around it, and no one will be the wiser.

However, that obvious flaw aside, there are a lot of people who are relieved to
see that this won't be based on demanding a photo ID of some kind for proof of
who you are. As we've seen with the Discord controversy of late, there are
trust (and privacy) issues around supplying sensitive data like IDs to third
parties (especially if those firms then end up suffering a data breach).

Another issue that's causing controversy here, though, is that some believe
this is an initial implementation designed to get the door open in order to
bring through stricter legislation (that does use ID verification) at a later
date.

You can see why there's a fair bit of skepticism floating around, one way or
another, about AB 1043, and there's another problem for some operating system
developers, too. If you look at the more niche Linux distros, they're run by
small teams of enthusiasts who simply don't have the resources to tackle
implementing the necessary systems and real-time API - it's just not going to
happen. In those cases, as Tom's Hardware notes, their approach is likely to be
labelling the OS as not intended for use in California.

There are further nuances around what an 'account' is with an operating system,
too. What about OS installations with multiple user accounts, with various
family members sharing a PC - how exactly will that work under the new
regulations? There are already folks pushing for clarity and amendments on that
particular issue.

It's a rather muddy law, then, in more than a few respects, yet there's no
shortage of folks welcoming it as a better outcome for California than what
could have been (meaning full ID checks).


https://tinyurl.com/5bwakvh5

https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/...
s-proving-controversial-heres-what-you-need-to-know-and-why-some-linux-distros-
are-in-the-firing-line

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