@aral@mastodon.ar.alWait, those open source heroes in the Linux world who valiantly sell enterprise software and provide the infrastructure for surveillance capitalism are preemptively complying with fascism?
Why, say it ain’t so!
#linux #ageVerification
@simon_brooke@mastodon.scotRE: #AgeVerification
@tiotasram@kolektiva.socialI've seen a bunch of "the CA age verification law is the best way to do a bad thing and so we shouldn't oppose compliance" takes, which others are rightly pointing out is a bad stance because it's blindingly obvious that compliance now sets the stage for compliance later and the clearly set up later is mandatory verification of age data. Even if you think that, for example, California's current "progressive" government won't go there, we're all currently seeing just how easy it is for a new government to pick up the oppressive tools the "good" government was using "restraint" with and put them to worse ends.
On the other hand, I'll freely admit that distros *do* need a way to shield themselves from liability right now. The clear (to me; IANAL) correct solution is to say on your website "don't download this OS if you're in a jurisdiction where it's not legal for us to provide it."). Assuming this does put you in the clear liability-wise, it has several positive effects:
- Stops zero people from downloading it.
- Makes it clear that your project will not collaborate with fascists/oppressive regime enjoyers.
- Means that when the next law makes verifying user ages mandatory (and/or explicitly requires using Palantir-adjacent services to do so) you've already got a strategy in place and there's no need for a "debate" in your "community" about compliance.
- Gets users more practice with "the law is malicious/needlessly bureaucratic/oppressive; let's ignore it" which to be honest people in general clearly desperately need at this point.
- Is the most effective political move if you want to resist the way things are going. Forcing the other side to explain why "California bans Linux" is good rhetorical strategy. Make *them* try to explain "well it's actually not so harmful since we let users set it themselves" and answer your follow-up "but what if next year the requirements change; I just refuse to go along with this slippery slope stuff and I'm not bothered if that means you want to *ban* me."
#AgeVerification
@gideonstar@mastodon.gideonstar.de
@x_cli@infosec.exchange
@kingconsult@berlin.social> Die Chefin des #Verbraucherzentrale @… stellt sich gegen ein #Mindestalter für #TikTok #Instagram und andere #SocialMedia-Dienste. Stattdessen fordert Ramona Pop einzelne Funktionen zu verbieten.
09.02.2026, @… für #Spiegel #Netzwelt: #Meta’s #DigitalMajorityAge is a distraction to avoid #compliance«:
#DSA #Datenschutz #AgeVerification #Kinderschutz #Alterskontrollen
