Nanny state vs. Linux: show us your ID, kid
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Several US states and other jurisdictions are advancing age-verification laws that would require operating system vendors to collect and store user age data. While Apple and Microsoft can comply via existing account systems, Linux and open-source OSes face a fundamental conflict with their user-empowerment ethos. Responses vary: MidnightBSD and Adenix GNU/Linux are banning use in affected regions, DHH calls the California law unenforceable, Canonical is reviewing with legal counsel, and Fedora is exploring local-only age flags. The author argues these laws are ineffective, unenforceable, and part of a broader surveillance trend, and that restricting OS access harms the curious young people who become tomorrow's developers.
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Linux PC vendor System76 tries to talk Colorado down over OS age checksCall us immediately if your child uses Kali Linux, squawks West Mids PoliceSort: