Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification • Hacker News Board

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#161

Post by xp84 » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

graceful6800 wrote: post #150

kej wrote: post #58

I feel like all of these laws are being designed backwards. Content providers, like MPAA films, should have to identify what sort of content they are providing. Then I can give my kids a device configured to allow some or all of that at my discretion. Requiring my kids' devices to advertise their age (or their age "bucket", as if that was a meaningful difference) to protect them is not doing me or my kids any favors.

They're actually designed quite well for the intended purpose: mass surveillance and suppression of speech. Don't ever for one second pretend this is about anything else.

Why then did this completely leave out verification? Parents want and accept the out-of-box declaration idea. It requires no ID, no face scans, no "ID dot ME" or whatever. As parents we are more than able to open the box before giving our kids a laptop or phone and entering their DOB, and also able to see with our own eyes if the kid suddenly turns up with a second cell phone that they bought and configured as an adult.

Any parents who are pathetically absent from parenting their kids, well, they can just go right on ignoring their kids and letting the kid themselves put in 9/9/99, and consume all kinds of inappropriate crap.

This particular law is respecting everyone's rights.

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#162

Post by kube-system » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC

lrvick wrote: post #145

otterley wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of remedies available to a court with respect to a recalcitrant party, ranging from an injunction to remove your product from the market to fines and imprisonment. Again, speak with your attorney. Do not try to "hack the law" yourself; many who have tried have regretted it later.

No need to hack the law. Our FOSS code is constitutionally protected free speech and I would defend on those grounds. The technical design of the project just makes it so no one can force changes on the distro unwanted by the maintainer team regardless of any courtroom outcomes. Like, what if someone made a law that said Bitcoin nodes must KYC? They could make the law I guess, and the international network operators…

> Our FOSS code is constitutionally protected free speech and I would defend on those grounds.

You have precisely zero additional speech rights as a FOSS project than any other organization has. If "free speech" was a valid defense for you, then Meta would be doing the same.

> The technical design of the project just makes it so no one can force changes on the distro unwanted by the maintainer team regardless of any courtroom outcomes.

Being unable to comply is not a valid legal defense.

> Like, what if someone made a law that said Bitcoin nodes must KYC? They could make the law I guess, and the international network operators would just laugh at it.

This is the law in various places under various mechanisms. It is handled by putting people in prison or taking people's assets.

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#163

Post by varispeed » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

kej wrote: post #58

I feel like all of these laws are being designed backwards. Content providers, like MPAA films, should have to identify what sort of content they are providing. Then I can give my kids a device configured to allow some or all of that at my discretion. Requiring my kids' devices to advertise their age (or their age "bucket", as if that was a meaningful difference) to protect them is not doing me or my kids any favors.

It seems like after Epstein was gone a lot of politicians in many countries suddenly want to identify children, take photos for "age identification", and their ages and what apps they use. Very strange.

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#164

Post by LPisGood » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

FuckButtons wrote: post #81

gh02t wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies like Red Hat/IBM operate in Illinois and for better or worse have controlling interests in Linux and across open source projects pretty broadly. Wouldn't they be forced to include the capability in their products, which then percolate out to everyone just by network effects?

finally the die hard systemd haters will have an actually valid point.

I’m unfamiliar with systemd’s haters or why this would give them a valid point. Could you please elaborate?

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#165

Post by amelius » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

lrvick wrote: post #89

Linux distro founder here (stagex) I will never be compelled to implement this, and would never merge it. Every release requires quorum signatures by an international maintainer team, and the distro is designed to work offline-first, with some variants not even supporting network drivers in the kernel, so Illinois legislators can eat shit.

Just wait until all vendors are required to lock down their devices like Apple does. Apple has shown that it is possible, thanks Apple!

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#166

Post by EGreg » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #148

lrvick wrote: post #89

Linux distro founder here (stagex) I will never be compelled to implement this, and would never merge it. Every release requires quorum signatures by an international maintainer team, and the distro is designed to work offline-first, with some variants not even supporting network drivers in the kernel, so Illinois legislators can eat shit.

They can stop you from doing any work on the project. They can even fine or jail you for work done after the law takes affect that the international committee doesn't allow. Which is to say you can be forced to stop work. Though if you don't live in IL it is unclear how this affects you.

Governments can hire a hitman to go after you, if you say something wrong. So can international crime syndicates. Will this have a meaningful effect on chilling your speech?

https://abcnews.com/amp/US/children-recruited-criminals-indu...

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#167

Post by JoshTriplett » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

otterley wrote: post #115

lrvick wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am in the USA, but I literally cannot comply because by design it is not possible for me to ship changes without the international maintainer team agreeing to them. And Illinois legislators have no power over them. Also, we are not a company. We are an independent community owned project. Our code is free speech and I will burn the world down to defend that right. Truly I dare someone to try to take me to court ove…

There are a lot of remedies available to a court with respect to a recalcitrant party, ranging from an injunction to remove your product from the market to fines and imprisonment. Again, speak with your attorney. Do not try to "hack the law" yourself; many who have tried have regretted it later.

> Again, speak with your attorney. Do not try to "hack the law" yourself; many who have tried have regretted it later.

Also reach out to the EFF, who may be able to help/advise, especially if you genuinely want to fight this.

This is a terrible law. That doesn't mean it's not a law, and courts do not look kindly on people subject to their jurisdiction (which unfortunately often includes state laws to people in other states) who try to dodge the responsibility the court thinks they should have.

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#168

Post by michaelt » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:48 PM UTC

kej wrote: post #58

I feel like all of these laws are being designed backwards. Content providers, like MPAA films, should have to identify what sort of content they are providing. Then I can give my kids a device configured to allow some or all of that at my discretion. Requiring my kids' devices to advertise their age (or their age "bucket", as if that was a meaningful difference) to protect them is not doing me or my kids any favors.

The idea of a 'user agent' where the 'device owner' decides 'what should be displayed and how' is ancient history, grandad.

Modern social media is delivered through 'apps' which are like web browsers, except without ad blockers or privacy settings, and with push notifications to make them more addictive, and they only show one website, and they're each 5x the size of a web browser for some reason.

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#169

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:49 PM UTC

lrvick wrote: post #104

otterley wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're in the USA or plan to visit someday, I would recommend you speak with your attorney before making such commitments.

I am in the USA, but I literally cannot comply because by design it is not possible for me to ship changes without the international maintainer team agreeing to them. And Illinois legislators have no power over them. Also, we are not a company. We are an independent community owned project. Our code is free speech and I will burn the world down to defend that right. Truly I dare someone to try to take me to court ove…

[deleted]

Re: Illinois just passed a law that puts Linux on the hook for age verification

#170

Post by otterley » Mon, Aug 10, 2026, 9:49 PM UTC

misphrasing wrote: post #144

otterley wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> constitutionally protected rights Wait, which constitutionally protected right is that? I'm an attorney and constitutional scholar and am particularly interested in what right you believe is being violated here.

Code is speech. Forcing someone to implement something is legally-compelled speech, assuming no complicating factor like commerce.

That argument has been going on for decades, and has had few victories in the court system. The DMCA, which prohibits trafficking in anticircumvention devices, even though there's a lot of code in them, is still alive and well.