California unanimously exempts Linux and open-source OSes from age-verification law
California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law
California lawmakers unanimously passed Assembly Bill 1856, exempting open-source operating systems from the state's Digital Age Assurance Act, which takes effect January 1, 2027. The amendment redefines "operating system provider" to exclude software distributed under licenses like GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache, covering Linux distributions such as Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, and Arch, as well as the BSD family. The bill now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed the original act last October.
The amendment ends almost a year of uncertainty surrounding whether Linux distributions and SteamOS would be forced to collect user age data during account setup alongside Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
- cm2187
Excellent. From now on all kids will become linux natives. The decade of the linux desktop is coming!
- techteach00
So someone said something I think sarcastically that deserves a fresh comment.
"From now on all kids will become linux natives. The decade of the linux desktop is coming!"
I teach technology K-8. So I have a front row seat to observing how the next generation navigates this new digital wasteland. Due to the aggressive censorship and locked nature of their computing experience at school, think Go Guardian, they have become experts at using Google workspace to make art, comics, communicate with one another in class etc.
My point, the next generation really will become adept at using Linux IF the system is so locked down that it's all that's available. Humans adapt to their environment, no matter how harsh.
- red_admiral
We got into this mess because people wanted Facebook to have age verification, and MZ decided to push the responsibility on to OSes.
The result looks to me like Facebook will ban access from non-approved OSes like Linux. Android will still be allowed, GrapheneOS probably not.
- huimang
So is anyone going to revert the commits that jumped the gun on this?
E.g. systemd's birthdate field https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954
- DoctorOetker
nobody is worried about about the arbitrarian aspects?
What if you are interested in developing your own OS (a task that would have been monumental but may become trivial with LLMs in the future)?
Why is the proper level the OS? Why not the browser or the hypervisor?
Or perhaps manufacturer should remember your age? What if hardware is resold? We would need a hardware cadastre! A global hardware cadastre would unite all jurisdictions in a power bloc eventually. It starts with daily computer/laptop, then domotics, then digital door locks, and before you know it the bloc-global hardware cadastre becomes authoritative, and the reference for property ownership.
Is there even a proper level?
- some_random
Hope you all are excited for the most important parts of the internet to be completely unusable by default on Linux in a few years.
- rbbydotdev
this bill fixes nothing. if you wanted to prevent harm from the internet you would start with proper privacy laws. but we all know why that will never happen
- gwerbin
This is a victory only in a very perverse sense. The silver lining is that maybe this will push more people towards using Linux (maybe Haiku will have its day). And Linux itself lives on. But what a disaster of a policy, clearly just catering to lobbyists and not the best interests of Californians.
- inigyou
This is a silly idea since California's law was actually well-thought-out. This will actually force social media to ban Linux clients, since the social media can't be compliant in that case. The operating system won't provide an age signal and the social media isn't allowed to ask for one on its own.
I also want a permanent ban for anyone who calls the California law "age verification". It does not verify age. Period.
- nottorp
Linux?
Or also BSD, ReactOS, hobby OS #24562 etc... ?