this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026
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"Key questions remain unanswered, such as the definition of “operating system provider,” the type of verification required, the focus on major commercial platforms, and the potential scope beyond them."
I guarantee this bill is unenforceable. Cars, phones, traffic lights all have have computers with operating systems. All modern tech has an operating system of some sort. Also how do you even verify age? If my laptop is offline can I just not use it because it can't confirm my id? What about tech that never goes online but has an OS, like a calculator? I can't believe microsoft and apple are not lobbying against this. Who becomes liable if an "underage" person is accidentally given access or if access is denied to an "of age" person. I can just imagine an emt frantically looking for their driver's license so they can use the computerized defibrillator.
Microsoft is probably salivating at the idea of being the only legal OS provider.
Microsoft and Apple. The internet will only allow OSs from large American corporations.
I'd like to see the rest of the world say "fuck it" and carry on as before, leaving the Americans to censor themselves. But governments around the world are suddenly rushing to implement very similar terrible laws. It smells very coordinated.
Meta is funding a lot of the lobbyists pushing for age verification laws. Uncoincidentally, Meta both owns a stake in a company providing identity verification as a service, and serves to benefit from not having to moderate its own platforms.
Citizens United, folks. Because nothing says "freedom of speech" like collusion, bribery, and conflicts of interest!
And meta had a pretty big chance of just getting banned from being used by minors in places around the world, so it might not work out as hoped.
Yeah, governments all over are trying to implement the same shit, and I agree it's coordinated. Many governments are also looking seriously at stepping back from reliance on US big tech firms though. Not that homegrown oppression and surveillance is any better.
But you KNOW the masses will comply because they're told so. They don't want to break the law...
But don't some of these larger orgs fund Linux distros? Like Red Hat with Fedora?
It's like Secure Boot, but without any of those pesky self-signing workarounds.