this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2026
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I disagree. While I totally understand that it is an optional feature that can enabled and enforced only by others, I am not happy that the developers of systemd rushed to include it into the JSON file with the user info. I would expect the developers to be a bit more resistant to requests by two US states and Brazil. Why are they making it so easy? I guess we will see a resurgence of systemd-free dirstros.
They can fuck off. Time to check out Artix.
Sorry, minor correction. Not all the systemd developers. One single dickhead wrote it and two chuds who work at microslop merged the PR made this happen. The git structure got hijacked. People are arguing over the validity and necessity of the PR while ignoring the broader goals this serves.
To be frank, I am so sick of this invasive nonsense. I have a son and you know how I'm going to manage access for him? Not fucking letting him have the damn computer before he knows how to use it safely. I grew up on Web 1 and web 2.0. They were much scarier places back in the day and easier to find.
Moreover, this also follows with the trend of sensationalizing threats to make the pearl clutchers feel this is a good choice. Its no different that how the news screams the US is unsafe with tons of violent crime to justify this kind of bullshit when violent crime has been declining on the whole.
This ginned up controversy serves one interest. Control access to knowledge so you never question the State again.
It also lets the Epstein class know who the minors are.
Can we have a rule that if you work for microslop then you are invalidated from working on any Linux project? Doesn't that sound reasonable?
4 US states; California, New York, Colorado, and Illinois.
Why are all the "progressive" states first in line?
Big tech wants this, big tech has immense influence in most of these states.
In at least Illinois, this is still in the proposal phase. The bad news is that there are also more draconian proposals that require government issue IDs.
Also germany too
Where are you getting this information from, that Germany is requiring age verification on an OS level?
From the law:
§12 Jugendmedienschutzstaatsvertrag: https://www.landesrecht-bw.de/bsbw/document/jlr-JMedienSchStVtrGBWV10StVtr-P12
Interesting, didnt knew about that one.
It might be debatable if this would even apply to Linux (its basically the same AS with the laws from california), since the law requires "distributors of operating systems" to implement this (who is the distributor) and it might be debatable if Linux falls under the definition of "operating systems usually used by child's and teenagers".
Not sure if this is helpfull:
https://www.landesrecht-bw.de/bsbw/document/jlr-JMedienSchStVtrGBWV10StVtr-P3
A distributor of an operating system is a person or legal entity who provides operating systems.
It is extremely vague, it could be everyone from the creators of the distribution, to the person/company running the download mirror, down to the person who does the installation.
Without some court rulings to bring some guidelines and practical applications of the law there is the risk that everyone handling a non-compliant OS could be judged under the law if someone under 18 could get access to to OS or a System running it.
That is indeed very vague