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A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

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Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#151

How wouldn't this also apply to things like useradd(8) or simply automated user account setup, e.g. like cups, sshd, etc? Do we need to add this to vi for use in vipw on UNIX?

Worse. Google has to add this to all the machines in their data centers? Imagine the expansion of DevOps BS this will enable:

Vendors will need support stuff like "account holder is 12msec old, and can access adult content". They can even create a special certification for it.

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a "tiny large language model"? lol

Yeah, a small one that is cheaper because they'll be processing billions of messages per year.

Good thing all the kind people doing death threats won’t just bypass it?

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#153
post #12

The actual bill: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm... Bill text (it’s longer, but the rest is mostly definitions of the terms used here): 1798.501. (a) An operating system provider shall do all of the following: (1) Provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the purpose of providin…

How does that apply to windows server with active directory for a school ? Does that mean that the admin will have to manage dob of every student when creating accounts ? > A developer shall not willfully disregard internal clear and convincing information otherwise available to the developer that indicates that a user’s age is different than the age bracket data indicated by a signal provided by an operating system…

So because there is no requirement for the age to be accurate, it would be pretty easy to say "all student accounts are the age of the youngest allowed school entrant for that school year", right? That resolves the age issue and also prevents both PII leakage as well as possible school bullying opportunities.

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#154

There's an obvious theme with lawmakers in California—they pass laws to regulate things they have zero clue about, add them to their achievement page, cheer for themselves, and declare, "There! I've made the world a better place." There are just too many examples. For instance: - Microstamping requirements for guns—printing a unique barcode on every bullet casing (Glock gen3 cannot be retired, thus, the auto-mode swi…

Not just 3D printers but all subtractive CNC machines too.

Frankly, look at how hard it was to make a sten. Even just a lathe and a welder is likely sufficient.

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#157
post #80

There's an obvious theme with lawmakers in California—they pass laws to regulate things they have zero clue about, add them to their achievement page, cheer for themselves, and declare, "There! I've made the world a better place." There are just too many examples. For instance: - Microstamping requirements for guns—printing a unique barcode on every bullet casing (Glock gen3 cannot be retired, thus, the auto-mode swi…

I’m more curious in the genesis of these laws, whether their sponsors received written suggestions or ghostwritten bills, etc. as a form of parallel construction. It seems all at once, everywhere that many groups that have a vested interest in forcing precedent and compliance of non-anonymous access across the computer world. It smacks of something less-than-organic.

I was curious about your question and googled. Here's the legislative history of the law: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm....

Reading the first analysis PDF:

> This bill, sponsored by the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and Children Now, seeks to require device and operating systems manufacturers to develop an age assurance signal that will be sent to application developers informing them of the age-bracket of the user who is downloading their application or entering their website. Depending on the age range of the user, a parent or guardian will have to consent prior to the user being allowed access to the platform. The bill presents a potentially elegant solution to a vexing problem underpinning many efforts to protect children online. However, there are several details to be worked out on the bill to ensure technical feasibility and that it strikes the appropriate balance between parental control and the autonomy of children, particularly older teens. The bill is supported by several parents’ organizations, including Parents for School Options, Protect our Kids, and Parents Support for Online Learning. In addition, the TransLatin Coalition and The Source LGBT+ Center are in support. The bill is opposed by Oakland Privacy, TechNet, and Chamber of Progress.

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#158
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is `ls` an application? Is `cat`? This thing is so broadly-written, the only thing saving you from needing to give you age to your toaster is that it's not a "general-purpose" computing device. Never mind that it can run DOOM...

Do you download `ls` from anything resembling an "app store"?

like apt? or ftp.example.com?

also: what's download? in embedded sphere, flashing a firmware is often reffered to as download. That's an industry standard term.

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's the lowest common denominator between the user and every online interaction. The bill basically says provide a date-of-birth as metadata to accounts and provide an API to query the age bracket, not even the age, of the user to applications. It's a privacy-aware, mostly reasonable approach that shifts responsibility to the owner/administrator of a device to enforce it. It's basically just mandating parent…

I'm trying to understand how this is even a bad thing. Where is the privacy invading verification? Surely a given OS can implement the API response however it wants? If you're root, tell me your age. If you're not, (a child account), the admin (their parent) sets the age. Seems fine?

Well, it's not a bad thing. And if you can root your own computer, that's adult enough

Re: A new California law says all operating systems need to have age verification

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lobbyists for intelligence agencies. I think it's one peg below intel agencies. It's the local gov agencies that want that power. The 3 letter peeps can already tell who writes what, both at scale and targeted.

I mean the entire public and private industry . And you’re right this will empower local law enforcement

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