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Oh No! Now A Federal Bill Wants OS-Level Age Verification for Everyone in the USA (itsfoss.com)

submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by pglpm@lemmy.ca to c/linux@programming.dev

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From the press release [my emphasis]:

Require operating system developers like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages when setting up a new device, rather than relying on self-reported ages.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/25834609

The U.S. has been quietly building up a set of state-level laws that push operating system providers into the age verification plague.

California's AB 1043, signed in October 2025, requires OS providers to collect age data at account setup and pipe it to apps through a real-time API. It kicks in on January 1, 2027.

Colorado is working on something nearly identical. SB26-051 (which we covered when it was still a proposal) passed the state Senate 28-7 on March 3, 2026, and is now waiting on a House vote to become law there too.

However, these are just state-level laws. A new federal bill, H.R.8250, introduced on April 13, 2026, by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, with Rep. Elise M. Stefanik signing on as cosponsor, has us intrigued.

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[–] realitaetsverlust@piefed.zip 12 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Every day, the words "Violent Uprising" sound a lot less problematic in my ears.

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 4 points 4 days ago

Unfortunately, the majority will go "nothing to hide" and move on. Only when the effects hit will they notice.

[–] pglpm@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

We surely need to send protest emails and letters to legislators and government representatives – as citizens did in EU for the "chat control" proposals – and organize protest marches, strikes, and so on.

But yes, if the regime behaves more and more like a Russian state, rather than a democracy, and doesn't care about citizens' protests, then "violent uprising" becomes almost a moral imperative. "Democracy" means "government by the people", and it's we people who must make sure no one takes the government out of our hands; nobody else can do that for us.