this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026
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[–] Havoc8154@mander.xyz 12 points 1 week ago (41 children)

Obviously everyone here hates this, but I'm gonna offer another perspective here and prepare for the down votes I guess.

There is a very good argument for OS level age 'tracking' as a means of creating a cohesive environment for software and websites to operate without having to implement individual age verification. The biggest actual issue here is how the OS determines what the user's age is. If this is implemented similar to what California has done, the OS would simply ask for the user's age at setup, and store that value, which can then be reported to programs and websites as needed. This would allow parents to setup a device for the child and not have to separately implement parental controls on every individual conceivable program, which are often easily circumvented. This would undermine any individual website's attempts to use age verification as an excuse to collect government ID data, and the security risks inherent to that.

There's no need to put any kind of validation onto this, it should simply be self-reported.

Now admittedly I don't trust our government to implement this in any kind of reasonable way so I definitely understand and respect the outrage, but I guess I'm just trying to find some positive aspect of how this might be implemented.

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 13 points 1 week ago

This is steel-manning an argument for a feature no one wants which is most likely the thin end of the wedge for increased surveillance and censorship.

This is just how it starts so they can trick well meaning developers into making websites and platforms which make use of this verification while it is still self-ID, but when the laws become more demanding and require connecting your user account to your real-world identity, it'll already be too late, all of your online activity can be tied back to you.

When I make this argument, people like to call it a slippery slope, but the fact is that there are so many nations cracking down on free, unmonitored access to the internet, with social media restrictions, platforms like Discord requiring you to provide identification, and so on.

All for this, all of that risk, all for a feature that adds very little value to the computing experience of anyone.

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

This isn't why those pushing for want it. It isn't about the kids safety but harvesting more information so they can tie all the other tracking data they have to a individual. its alway think of the children but lets make some money while we are at it.

Wrong. There are things that belong at the application level and others that belong in user space. Fundamentally it doesn’t make sense for any sort of mandate.

TF should I have to put my age or any other personal information into my pihole or any other system I’m running.

[–] spicehoarder@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Absolutely not, age data is biometric data. It can and will be used to fingerprint you.

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[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Sure, make it an optional field that you can fill in with whatever. Don't make laws requiring it though.

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[–] marine_mustang@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Totally unenforceable. You going to prevent people from downloading open-source, noncompliant Linux from Asia or Europe? Good luck.

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[–] Arancello@aussie.zone 8 points 1 week ago (3 children)

And yet another reason to abandon mercan tech.

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Would this bill ban the use of all operating systems released before it became law? That seems unlikely.

So then how about OSs released before it became law, with patches released afterwards? That also seems unlikely.

So then how about my computer's current OS, which is a heavily patched version of a little hobby OS called Linux, originally released in 1991?

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (7 children)

you’ll simply not be allowed online with the device.

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 7 points 1 week ago

Quit trying to make it happen

[–] sns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I left the US in the year 2000 and it's gone downhill since then.

Has to be more than just coincidence.

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