They should just outsource these types of things to our ethics API

How will this work with the numerous "Hobby" Operating Systems out there ?

Next they'll try to ban sexps without age verification.

Feels like they're trying to implement a new wide-reaching protocol/spec by requiring it by law first, then expecting someone to magically develop something, and god forbid it's a different standard than anyone else's.

By next January there will be 30 different methods of age input signalling between OS and application. And then by 2030 we might have the top 3 adopted as established defacto standards.

somewhat related-ish https://xkcd.com/927/ :)

Since Linux is a kernel, not an operating system, it's unaffected by this law.

I thought Europe would do this type of stuff

Mr. AI analyzed the wording in the link and said:

California Assembly Bill 1043 requires OS providers (including Linux) to add age verification at account setup, prompting users for birth date/age to signal age brackets to apps in covered stores. It may violate privacy by enabling data collection/misuse beyond age checks, similar to UK/Discord issues; no explicit civil rights violations noted, but could restrict access for adults/minors if misapplied. Benefits: Enables age-appropriate app content, protecting minors. Drawbacks: Privacy risks, enforcement hurdles (e.g., Linux disclaimers like "not for California use"), aligns with global trends amplifying concerns.

An updated deep dive by Mr. AI returned the following analysis:

Official link: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm... Revised pros: Enhances child safety via non-PII age brackets for app compliance; data minimization limits info shared; anticompetitive prohibitions prevent misuse; good faith shields from liability. Revised cons: Setup requires age input, risking misuse despite safeguards; enforcement challenges for open-source OS like Linux; increased developer liability for signals; potential access restrictions from errors or misreports. No clear privacy/civil rights violations for adults/minors, but implementation costs and global trend concerns persist.

My thoughts: California lawmakers keep turning the screw more and more to the left with AB 1043 being introduced by Democrat Buffy Wicks. Though it has bipartisan co-authors (8 Democrats, 3 Republicans) and passed the Assembly unanimously (58-0), it still feels a bit authoritarian to me. The California Assembly political divide is very left leaning with Democrats controlling 60 seats and Republicans 20 for a total of 80 with Democrats controlling a supermajority.

What's to stop someone from building their own Distro using LinuxFromScratch to bypass this new restriction? Nothing, in my view!

Which I had money cause, Florida looking good about now.

> That's likely no big deal for Windows, which already requires you to enter your date of birth during the Microsoft Account setup procedure

That isn’t age verification at all

Not sure if California is EU-lite or it has surpassed them, it sucks sometimes here, they are on a path to regulate and ruin everything.