Post #2067957

2026-03-11 19:32 UTC

My takeaway on the current state in Canada is: - An OS can mandate age collection (as long as it stays on device) - Mandating such collection will face issues. - Deployment of an OS that mandates age collection could be an issue - Any attempt to use that collected data will face issues (especially if developers are required to be deemed to have collected it)

Replies (3)

@sarahjamielewis@mastodon.social 2026-03-11 20:39

Something I really really want to emphasize here: The "age verification" bit doesn't really matter. Even as far as mandating the existence of parental controls is debatable in many contexts. The "developer liability to know personal information" bit is an existential threat to free software. And the bit that deserves defending from every possible angle (freedom of speech, expression, and privacy law to name a few) https://mastodon.social/@sarahjamielewis/116178334950236964

Open ##2067958
@nemeciii@mastodon.social 2026-03-11 19:38

@sarahjamielewis As an European, what is going on? I thought this was some California tech-bro oligarchy Trump boot licker shit but you too?

Open ##2067959
@dazo@infosec.exchange 2026-03-11 20:11

@sarahjamielewis What I struggle to wrap my head around on this OS age verification stuff ... How will they verify that this age verification hasn't been disabled or tampered with? How can they be sure it is working as intended on an OS which is fully open source? Or will they do home visits to check that it is working as it should? Will you need a licence to own a computer, so governments know who has access to computers and how many? I heard families in California could get a $2500 fine if the age verification was not active - how would they know? You need to login on a website regularly to get access to Internet? On the other side, I see a huge win in all of this. The government may very well help fostering up a large force of young hackers who will want to take full control over their computers. Where the clever hacks fooling various audits and controls will flourish on the darkweb which will also most likely grow popularity. And if this goes much further than California alone, maybe this will even contribute to "the year of the Linux desktop"? I'm sure Microsoft will be thrilled! I think I'll just grab some popcorn and watch how this all plays out. And I'll happily help and support kids wanting to learn a few things about computers 😁

Open ##2067967