this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
-24 points (31.8% liked)

Linux

63910 readers
466 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
nooter692@lemmy.ml
AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
MarcellusDrum@lemmy.ml
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml
cyclohexane@lemmy.ml
d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz
-24
What is really likely to happen to you if you use an OS that doesn't comply with age verification laws. (lemmy.today)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by 1dalm@lemmy.today to c/linux@lemmy.ml
84 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Okay you are ready to take a stand for freedom!

You are going to use an OS that isn't going to bend the knee and comply with age verification laws. I solute you, comrade!

Here are the likely consequences of your choice:

The Feds aren't coming after you. You aren't going to be out on a watch list.

What will likely happen is that if you try to log into your Facebook account you will get a message that says "Your Operating System is not currently supported. Your user experience will be limited to Groups labeled "Everyone"."

That's basically it. Your personal user experience will be limited to "kid friendly" areas of the Internet. (Same with apps and games.)

That's the real driver of these laws. Facebook and other app producers know that the days where they can just shrug off child predators using their products is coming to and end. Regardless of your opinion on age verification is as a solution, child predators are a real world problem and it's not just the parents fault. The platforms have some responsibility too.

Which is exactly what Facebook and the others specifically don't want -responsibility for their own platforms. That's why they are pushing for these laws that off load their responsibility onto the OS makers. Then they can just say "Oh, we don't have any responsibility for this child being abused in our platform. We asked the OS what the user's age was and the OS reported 18+. What else could we have done?"

So, that's the consequence if you choose to use an OS that refuses to comply. You'll just be relegated to the kid friendly version of website, games, and applications.

(On the other hand, if your OS chooses to falsely report to a website or an app an age for a child that is abused, then the OS should also be held responsible. But at that point you can go ahead and blame the parents too for letting their child use an OS that isn't safe for them to use.)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Unusable3151@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

At its core, neither an operating system nor a browser is a service. They are effectively data that the users are serving to themselves. There are certainly some operating systems and browsers that contain the ability to connect a service as a plugin or (I would say) maliciously include a connection to a service by default such as targeted advertising, but those services are neither the OS nor the browser.