California law to require operating systems to check your age
California law to require operating systems to check your age
California law to require operating systems to check your age
The time of age assurance is upon us, and not just for social media - for operating systems too and that includes Linux as well of course.
California law will require all Operating Systems — including Linux — to verify user age by 2027
California's AB-1043 mandates that all operating systems and app stores collect a user's age bracket at account setup and expose it via a system-level API for apps to query. For now it's self-reported (no ID scanning), but it applies to any OS downloadable in California — meaning Linux distros could be forced to add a date-of-birth prompt at install time or face civil penalties. Privacy advocates warn it's a dangerous precedent for baking identity checks directly into the OS layer.