Linux

TL;DR they are lawyering up and hasn't said for or aginst

Fair enough, that means they're probably gonna sue over it.

Software in the Public Interest is a US- based non-profit organization that legally represents and handles donations for Debian, Arch, LibreOffice, systemd and a lot of other projects. And if they're in violation of US law, they can unfortunately be sued into oblivion. So they're right to check with their legal team before making an informed decision.

This is why I stick with Debian. Adults make decisions over there.

He also noted that, from a non-lawyer perspective, it remains uncertain how these regulations would apply to a non-commercial, volunteer-driven project like Debian, which does not sell software and distributes it in a decentralized manner.

FUCKING THANK YOU.

I’m against these laws, strongly, but I think sending vitriol at systemd and distrust is not constructive.

The battle is legal and pretending it isn’t and fighting our maintainers who realistically can’t afford to be sued over good, is not helping the cause.

It’s humans at the end of the pipe. Thoughtful and vulnerable humans.

Just fucking block Brasil and California from using debian

This is what the DPL actually wrote on the subject:

Recent discussions have started around new age verification legislation that may affect free software operating systems. In particular, the California Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043), expected to take effect in 2027, raises questions about whether operating systems and package distribution mechanisms could be required to provide age-related information to applications. In parallel, a recently adopted law in Brazil appears to introduce similar requirements and is already in force, with initial interpretations suggesting it could apply to components such as package management tools. These developments are currently under discussion within Debian and other projects, and SPI has initiated efforts to obtain legal guidance. At this stage, the situation remains unclear, and further analysis is ongoing.

From a non-lawyer perspective, it is not yet clear how such regulations apply to a non-commercial, volunteer-driven project like Debian, which does not sell software and provides it in a highly decentralized way. It seems plausible that obligations, if any, may primarily affect redistributors or commercial entities building products on top of Debian. In such cases, Debian would as usual be open to contributions that help downstreams meet their requirements, while keeping such features optional and respecting the needs of users in other jurisdictions. However, this is an area where proper legal analysis is still required.

Source: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2026/04/msg00001.html

I read that as "new-age" verification. LOL

We gotta inspect your Chakra dude.

I think the position to adopt is very clear:

1. You stand upright facing the nearest government building.
2. You extend your right arm horizontally in front of you.
3. You rest your left hand, palm down, on top of your right arm, next to your antecubital fossa (the opposite side of the elbow).
4. You make a fist with your right hand.
5. Without opening your fist, you extend your right hand's middle finger straight up.
6. You decisively bend your right arm at the elbow, standing your forearm, fist, and middle finger straight up.

Thus you achieve the only reasonable position towards this nonsense.

"Fuck off" is the only appropriate answer.

The problem isn't the specific nature of the rule: having an api call in the background that can broadcast a user's age range (if it isn't a clearly identifiable marker) makes sense.

The problem is that if the government is able to tell open source developers "YOU MUST INSERT THIS CODE OR ELSE!!!" then what's next?

Will in 5 years they require Persona in order to install an Operating System to combat terrorism?

Will in 7 years they require a closed source module created by the government to be running at all times and the kernel must check to make sure if the closed source module is running?

Part of open source software is creativity, freedom, and freedom of speech. Some software is created because developers like creating things.

I hope Debian fights back against this on first amendment grounds. Great code is not that different from a great work of art, there is unique creativity in something elegantly coded that functions well, and telling developers they can't code how they want is the path toward totalitarianism.

It's one thing to force this into Microslop and Android and iOS because those are large profitable companies who don't actually care as long as they make money. It's another thing to force FOSS developers who develop for free because of the love of software and great code that they must change their code in a certain way.

Tille suggested that, if such obligations arise, they would likely affect redistributors or commercial entities building on Debian, rather than the Debian project itself.

if my edgerouter 4 adds age verification i'm going to burn everything to the ground

FYI : a place where some of these PRs have been created , and unfortunately, one already merged into Systemd

https://lemmy.world/post/44679693

• In Systemd, already merged.

• In xdg.desktop.portal (a portal frontend service for Flatpak and other desktop containment frameworks), still open.

• In Arch Linux, still open.

• In Freedesktop.org, still open.

Imagine having to verify your age for every docker container spun up by GitHub/forgejo actions.

Will drop debian like that if they capitulate a single inch

Right now the only Debian system I have is on Oldstable. If Debian decides to implement age verification/attestation, do you think it's going to be backported to that version? 🤔