Ubuntu Linux is planning to comply with Age Verification law.

[joonq@mastodon.social]

@docteurslump @nixCraft for now until governments start to stricten and stricten these laws

[mistersmee@fedi.mistersmee.ee]

@nixCraft

Someone from Canonical clarified this stuff, at least a little bit. They're still looking into the ramifications with the legal team, and the post on the mailing list is that developer's opinion, and not Canonical's official stance.

Source: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntus-response-to-californias-digital-age-assurance-act-ab-1043/77948

[nixcraft@mastodon.social]

Here is how they can make it user friendly for those who lives outside those states:

cat /etc/age-verification.conf
#Enabled=On|True|1
#Enabled=Off|False|0

This needs to be configured at first boot or install time. Please note that the nature of opensource makes it next to impossible to do something like this.

[mms@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@nixCraft I'm shocked that it's not a systemd module

[florian@oc.todon.fr]

@nixCraft They could probably tie it to the selected country during the installation...

I'm curious to know how the server OS will behave...

[thejessiekirk@ohai.social]

@nixCraft Bye bye Ubuntu.

[ferricoxide@blahaj.zone]

@nixCraft@mastodon.social

Wish I could even say "pathway to hell is paved with good intentions," but there are zero good intentions behind these efforts. This is all part of an effort to de-anonymize the Internet pushed through the Trojan Horse of "protect children" (haven't heard the other common rubric, "fight terrorism," used for these efforts).

[ferricoxide@blahaj.zone]

@thejessiekirk@ohai.social @nixCraft@mastodon.social

Uh… Yeah. No. That'll be any operating system that has US-based download servers. For example:

https://9to5linux.com/ubuntu-fedora-linux-mint-eye-age-verification-amid-california-law-backlash

These age and/or identity-verifcation laws are coming to lots of countries (EU has similar efforts).

[stephavelo@masto.bike]

@nixCraft

"Canonical is aware of the legislation and is reviewing it internally with legal counsel, but there are currently no concrete plans on how, or even whether, Ubuntu will change in response.

The recent mailing list post is an informal conversation among Ubuntu community members, not an announcement."

Ubuntu's response to California's Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043)

Over the past couple of days, there has been a lot of commentary about Ubuntu and how it’ll respond to California’s new Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043), which will require operating systems to collect age information…

Ubuntu Community Hub (discourse.ubuntu.com)

On the unfortunate need for an "age verification" API for legal compliance reasons in some U.S. states

(lists.ubuntu.com)

[ferricoxide@blahaj.zone]

@Florian@oc.todon.fr @nixCraft@mastodon.social

With the fact that age/identity-verification laws are not just a US phenomena and that laws are constantly updating, that would mean keeping a well-maintained mapping-file up to date. "Path of least resistance" is to simply apply it everywhere.

[thejessiekirk@ohai.social]

@ferricoxide Yup. Watch me swap OS. @nixCraft

[ingonymous@mastodon.social]

@nixCraft
The heck?!
The fact that you are using Linux isn't age verification enough?!?

[kevinrns@mstdn.social]

@nixCraft

It appears to be a discussion not an announcement of a decision. Am I missing something? In replies another suggests banningntje use of canonical in those states for example.

It is authoritarianism plain and dimple, it is the end of privacy and the first amendment, its a brain implant from Musk.

Fuck California Dems. Throw them out at primaries. 1st Amendment Dems, New Deal Dems. Start the removal.

Get organised.

#linux

[janpio@hachyderm.io]

@nixCraft Are they planning that, did they really announce that? Or did a discussion about this topic happen on a mailing list?

[gentlemantech@cyberplace.social]

@nixCraft utterly pointless because anyone can lie about their age.

But then I guess that’s the point. First they make us lie about it. Then they say “too many people are lying about their age so we have to do ID checks” and then it’s “we need to tie the ID check to everything you do online”

Meanwhile the actual crooks have run rings round the whole system and stolen someone else’s identity.

Result: everyone is less safe but “something was done about the kids looking at pron”

[rhew@gulp.cafe]

@nixCraft
Seriously? Not even gonna try and push back...
Fine, roll belly up Ubuntu

[m@martinh.net]

@mms @nixCraft UEFI age verification game has entered the chat

Play Games In UEFI…to Access Your Computer

These days, bootstrapping a computer is a pretty straight forward process, at least as far as the user is concerned. But in the olden days, one would have to manually flick switches entering binary…

Hackaday (hackaday.com)

[lexinova@cyberplace.social]

@nixCraft cool will remove that crap of my remaining server

[ferricoxide@blahaj.zone]

@thejessiekirk@ohai.social @nixCraft@mastodon.social

Ultimately, "swap OS" (to escape it) will mean one of "roll your own distro", use a really obscure distro or run an out-of-date distro.

[thejessiekirk@ohai.social]

@ferricoxide I shall keep fighting and I shall do what I must for as long as I can, rather than give up/obey in advance like you seem to want me to do. This is wrong. @nixCraft