Age checks creep into Linux as systemd gets a DOB field
Just what I want in my distro.
After weeks of debate, code to record user age was finally merged into the Linux world's favorite system management daemon.Pull request #40954 to the systemd project is titled "userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records." It's a new function for the existing userdb service, which adds a field to hold the user's date of birth:
Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc.The contents of the field will be protected from modification except by users with root privileges.
The change comes after the recent release of systemd 260 but unless it is reverted for some reason, it will be part of systemd 261. One of the justifications is to facilitate the new parental controls in Flatpak, which are still in the draft stage.
Age checks creep into Linux as systemd gets a DOB field
: Flatpak may be next, and the lobbying behind it is raising eyebrowsLiam Proven (The Register)
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sexy_animal_fucker
in reply to Powderhorn • • •like this
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Excel
in reply to sexy_animal_fucker • • •forestbeasts
in reply to sexy_animal_fucker • • •Finally, we're not just the Crazy Weirdos anymore!
It'd be awesome to get alternate init systems on, say, Debian hammered out into a more user-friendly shape. It's already fairly decent but feels a tad precarious and the initial setup is way too involved. (We're running OpenRC personally.)
-- Frost
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Banzai51
in reply to sexy_animal_fucker • • •org
in reply to Powderhorn • • •django
in reply to org • • •org
in reply to django • • •django
in reply to org • • •ACAB
Assigned Christian At Birth
PenguinCoder
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Midnitte
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Literally fucking pointless
Fucking nannystate bullshit.
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masterofn001
in reply to Midnitte • • •Every initial setup is granted admin and therefore sudo/su group permissions which is root privilege.
So, yeah, pointless..
Write a cronjob to change the dob on each logrotate or every hour?
Powderhorn
in reply to masterofn001 • • •xyro
in reply to Powderhorn • • •github.com/archlinux/archinsta…
user: add required birth date field to user creation by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #4290 · archlinux/archinstall
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floofloof
in reply to xyro • • •Kogasa
in reply to floofloof • • •Can't speak for this person as I wouldn't have volunteered to make these changes myself, but it's possible that he thinks implementing "harmless" versions sooner can provide a legal basis to decline to provide "harmful" versions later.
I'd personally wait for the legal challenges against non-compliant systems before moving into malicious compliance if necessary.
Belazor
in reply to Kogasa • • •If we accept the premise that certain distros will need to comply with age verification laws (school specific ones, distros running on govt machines), then it would be better if that information was securely stored in the system database rather than relying on each school/government agency reinventing the wheel.
I will save my ire and save my effort protesting until age verification, not attestation, makes its way into my distro of choice.
ParlimentOfDoom
in reply to Belazor • • •Let's not. They're doing this backwards. If this were actually for the children, identification happens by the content, with the filters set locally.
Not BROADCASTING TO THE ENTIRE INTERNET that a child is browsing.
P03 Locke
in reply to floofloof • • •Dylan's words in the PR:
I feel like he's getting ahead of the work as a matter-of-fact. In other words, the law passed, Arch is used by Californians, they need measures to make sure they're not breaking the law.
I don't think protest even falls into it with these kind of people, even though a majority of us would jump on the chance to actively protest this law and these changes. I personally cannot wait to have this shit throw at me at the next Linux upgrade, just to pull something like what Ageless Linux does against it.
That's why I was vehemently opposed to the hit piece that was attacking this guy personally, by a shit blogger who I will forever blacklist. Also, fuck the mod who submitted that hit piece to Lemmy.
Ageless Linux — Software for Humans of Indeterminate Age
agelesslinux.orgkbal
in reply to Powderhorn • • •I always thought that having some kind of "kid-safe" mode for web browsers would be a good idea; there are some people who would use that. People whose age doesn't necessarily have much to do with it. Having a standard header sent to websites to indicate it and making some rules about what they're supposed to do when they see it would be feasible enough.
It seems so painfully obvious that having a "date of birth" field in systemd is the wrong way to do things and can only go nowhere or else lead to bad things.
ascend
in reply to kbal • • •floofloof
in reply to ascend • • •ascend
in reply to floofloof • • •ParlimentOfDoom
in reply to ascend • • •guynamedzero
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Unhinged Stopa 🏳️🌈
in reply to guynamedzero • • •guynamedzero
in reply to Unhinged Stopa 🏳️🌈 • • •floofloof
in reply to guynamedzero • • •It shouldn't need to reveal DOB to any other party. At most there should be an API that returns a boolean indicating whether the user is a child.* DOB is too much information.
*Edit: Even that's a bad idea, as others here have pointed out. Let content filtering be done locally based on content metadata and user settings, so no information about the user needs to be broadcast.
orca
in reply to Powderhorn • • •This was my reply in another thread about this bullshit:
... Show more...This was my reply in another thread about this bullshit:
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schnurrito
in reply to orca • • •That's a bit difficult to argue in a world where the most prominent of such laws was passed in California, where Democrats control the entire legislative process.
I have not looked up the voting record for it, but would suspect that, like most of the worst laws in the US, it was enthusiastically supported by both parties? Am I wrong about that?
LukeZaz
in reply to schnurrito • • •I think that's the "with the help of tech bros" part. Rather high population of those in California, and boy do they have lobbying money.
Powderhorn
in reply to schnurrito • • •schnurrito
in reply to Powderhorn • • •So you're agreeing with me that this was supported by both parties…?
(I'm actually Austrian, not German; I have however read enough about US politics that I'm fairly confident in my statement above.)
Powderhorn
in reply to schnurrito • • •orca
in reply to schnurrito • • •like this
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masterofn001
in reply to orca • • •t3rmit3
in reply to schnurrito • • •TehPers
in reply to Powderhorn • • •docker run ubuntulol.like this
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Powderhorn
in reply to TehPers • • •I'm relatively certain that the junta would prefer all of us headless.
Ubuntu not required.
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schnurrito
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Yes. That's how it should be, that on the Internet you only have to comply with laws where you or the servers you are hosting things on are based, and all other places can piss off when it comes to enforcing their laws.
And it's how it mostly used to work, but we now live in this world: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrest_a…
One of my childhood dreams was to run my own successful web forum. Now that we live in this world where that means countries might prosecute me because my users have been doing things that are illegal somewhere in the world, that dream is officially dead. >:(
arrest of Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, on 24 August 2024 in Paris
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psx_crab
in reply to Powderhorn • • •1/1/1955
I ain't giving no bum my dob.
floofloof
in reply to psx_crab • • •psx_crab
in reply to floofloof • • •TehPers
in reply to floofloof • • •If entire distros default to 1/1/1970 then it might not be super helpful.
Might be interesting to see if some anti-tracking distros outside of these jurisdictions are interested in doing something like that.
uhmbah
in reply to Powderhorn • • •TehPers
in reply to uhmbah • • •What's wrong with the title? It's the article title.
Also, Beehaw has no downvotes, so you can downvote all you want on your instance if it makes you feel better, but it won't federate the downvote.
uhmbah
in reply to TehPers • • •TehPers
in reply to uhmbah • • •user: add required birth date field to user creation by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #4290 · archlinux/archinstall
GitHubuhmbah
in reply to TehPers • • •Arch? Rrquired? Fucking bullshit.
And yes.
Powderhorn
in reply to uhmbah • • •TehPers
in reply to Powderhorn • • •Don't worry. I'll sanitize his statement:
That god damn required age bullshit's going to fuck up Arch and every other distro worth a damn.
Hope I was helpful!
🦊 OneRedFox 🦊
in reply to Powderhorn • • •lobodon
in reply to Powderhorn • • •