Technology

Realize, this has always been him. He is NOT a liberal. He is a conservative who calls himself a democrat.

Because it's a metric, a bullet point, and campaign speech fodder. Newsome thinks of his position in terms of a career rather than an office, his job isn't to lead a nation towards what's right or wrong, it's to pander so that he can be re-elected or elected to higher office.

The bullshit way that lobbying groups conduct polling and market research means they he's chronically out of touch and that his focus is on perpetuating his time in office so he can continue to "represent the people", making a calling out of bowing to the desires of the mis-informed, outraged, panicked mob he believes his electorate to be instead of actually having a spine and exercising good judgement.

The consequences of shoddy legislation take second place to being able to declare he did something to "keep kids safe". It doesn't even have to work, all that matters is having something to wave around and back up that claim. Something to placate the plebeians and let him continue to do what he does best... listen to lobbyists who are lying about what people think.

Why? Because that's what gets people elected these days. Despite being on a foundation of pure bullshit, somehow it works. So he goes along with it, encourages it, and remains in office as a result.

Because this isn't about parenting or children, it's about a creeping surveillance state

This is a gift to Microsoft.

This law only applies to computers used by children. The law explicitly defines "users" as minors. It does not apply to machines used solely/primarily by adults. It does not apply to servers, or other machines with no local users. It won't affect the tech industry directly.

This law effectively prohibits your children from (legally) using anything but Microsoft/Google products until they are 18.

With this law, Linux cannot be installed on a school computer. With a FOSS OS, the local systems administrator would be considered the OS provider, and would be liable under this idiot law.

I was born in Feb 4th, 1987

I thought we were born April 20th, 1969

I was born in January 1st 1970, more credible and symbolic.

Shockingly, 2000-01-01 suffices.

Or to put it more bone crumblingly:
There's no need to go back into the last millennium.

I love the definitions section... So, first it defines the 4 age brackets a user can be: Under 13, 13-16, 16-18, or over 18. Then they define "Child" as anyone under 18. Then, and this is where it gets good, they define a "User" as a "Child". So by these definitions, no one can be considered a user if they are over 18. (which, then, why is there an "over 18" age bracket defined earlier??)

Not only do these people not seem to understand technology, they also don't understand that people over 18 use technology, or maybe exist?

It's hard enough trying to get Linux adoption in schools and businesses. This law makes it an additional liability.

Administrators of FOSS systems will be considered OS Providers under this law, and will be liable at $2000 to $7500 for every child they expose to a non-compliant OS.

Those few schools that have adopted Linux will be forced to switch to M$ and Google products.

The law was designed this way specifically so that people won’t fight it as hard because it doesn’t provide any verification requirements. That bill would come later once the outrage over this has waned and the age gating becomes normalized in the local culture so that people just shrug off the verification requirement in the future.

They’re not wasting any time or money, they're just playing the long game.