7.6 KiB
7.6 KiB
Legislative and Community Update (as of March 23, 2026)
systemd Status: birthDate Field Remains
- PR #40954: birthDate field still in systemd codebase. No second revert attempted.
- PR #41179: Community revert closed by Poettering on March 19. Status: permanently rejected.
- Issue #40974: ageGroup alternative (age brackets instead of exact dates) - closed without implementation.
- Community revert patch: Published as GitHub Gist for distros that want to strip the field independently.
The situation has been in a holding pattern since March 19.
Federal Legislative Developments
COPPA 2.0 - Passed Senate (March 2026)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Passed Senate unanimously, early March 2026 |
| Coverage | Ages 13-16 |
| Key provisions | Bans targeted advertising to minors, creates dedicated FTC enforcement division |
KOSA - Advanced
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Advanced through committee |
| Requirements | Risk assessments, restricted default settings for minors, algorithm disclosure |
App Store Accountability Act - Passed House Committee
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Passed House Energy and Commerce Committee |
| Requirements | App stores must implement age assurance and send age signals to developers |
KIDS Act - Advanced to Full House Floor
State Legislative Developments
California AB-1043 (Signed)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Signed October 13, 2025 |
| Effective | January 1, 2027 (full compliance July 1, 2027) |
| Requirements | OS providers must prompt for birth date/age at account setup |
| Age brackets | Under 13, 13-15, 16-17, 18+ |
| Method | Self-reported (no ID/biometrics) |
| Penalties | $2,500 negligent / $7,500 intentional per "affected child" |
| Legal challenges | EFF building constitutional challenge; no lawsuit filed yet |
Colorado SB26-051 (Advancing)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Passed Senate Third Reading March 3, 2026 (28-7) |
| Effective | January 1, 2028 if enacted |
| Age brackets | Under 13, 13-16, 16-18, 18+ |
| Open-source exemption | Co-author Sen. Matt Ball suggested this is a "real possibility" after System76 lobbying |
New York S8102A (More Stringent)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Pending |
| Key difference | Explicitly forbids self-reporting - leaves allowed methods to AG regulations |
| Penalties | $10,000 per violation (vs. California's $2,500-$7,500) |
Alabama (Signed)
Became the fourth state (after Utah, Louisiana, Texas) to sign age verification laws in February 2026.
Active Legal Challenges
| Case | Status |
|---|---|
| CCIA v. Brown (Utah SB142) | Enforcement blocked pending injunction hearing |
| CCIA v. Paxton (Texas) | Preliminary injunction granted Dec 23, 2025 |
| AB-1043 challenges | Expected before Jan 1, 2027; EFF building case |
Sources:
- Fortune - Social media companies scrambling (Mar 18)
- IAPP - COPPA 2.0, KOSA advanced
- Roll Call - Kids online safety bills (Mar 6)
- Colorado SB26-051 bill page
- New York S8102A
- EFF - AB-1043 analysis
Distribution Updates
Ubuntu / Canonical
- VP Jon Seager: "reviewing internally with legal counsel," "no concrete plans"
- Community Discourse post "Ubuntu must not implement OS-level age verification" gaining significant attention
- Dylan Taylor's draft PR to ubuntu-desktop-provision: not merged
Fedora
- Project Leader Jef Spaleta proposed local-only approach: file in
/etc/, local D-Bus API, no telemetry - Nothing shipped. Discussion at Fedora Discussion
Debian
- Aaron Rainbolt cross-posted age verification discussion to
debian-devel(March 1, 2026) - No official project position formed as of March 23
- Discussion ongoing on
debian-develanddebian-legal
Arch Linux
- PR #4290 (archinstall): Still locked, awaiting organizational stance and legal counsel
- Related Issue #4313 argues the field is "ineffective, non-compliant, and introduces unnecessary data collection"
Ageless Linux
- Active and growing in visibility, early-stage
- Created by John McCardle as civil disobedience
- Currently a script applied to existing Debian installation (not standalone ISO)
- Maintains Distro Compliance Tracker
- Featured by It's FOSS, Linuxiac, jwz, Hackaday, GovInfoSecurity
- Roadmap Q3 2026: Debian-based Netinstall ISO, Milk-V Duo S device image, Flatpak-based "Ageless Store"
System76
- CEO Carl Richell published blog opposing mandates
- Met with Colorado co-author Sen. Matt Ball - open-source exemption "real possibility"
- Actively lobbying Colorado legislature
freedesktop
- Closed the controversial XDG age verification interface proposal (March 10, 2026)
- xdg-desktop-portal PR #1922 (age range portal by KDE's David Edmundson) remains as draft
News Coverage Since March 21
Major Outlets
| Outlet | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Slashdot | "SystemD Adds Optional 'birthDate' Field" (Mar 21) |
| The Register | 4 articles (Mar 6, 10, 13, 16) covering OS age checks, System76, opinion pieces |
| Phoronix | System76 comments, Colorado open-source exemption |
| Linuxiac | systemd birthDate support, freedesktop closure |
| It's FOSS | systemd feature, Ageless Linux, distro responses |
| LWN.net | OS age verification (paywall), investigation of forces behind bills |
| Hackaday | California's problematic attempt (Mar 5) |
| Lunduke Substack | systemd age verification + r/Linux censorship |
| OSTechNix | Deep dive on systemd userdb birthDate |
| Sam Bent | "The Engineer Who Tried to Put Age Verification Into Linux" |
| GovInfoSecurity | "How Old Are You? Linux Grapples with New Age Check Rules" |
Ars Technica
Could not be confirmed - domain blocks automated crawlers.
Valve / SteamOS
No public statement specifically addressing OS-level age verification or AB-1043 compliance for SteamOS. GDC 2026 announcements focused on hardware (Steam Machine/Steam Frame), not software age verification.
SUSE / Red Hat / IBM
No public statements found regarding OS-level age verification. SUSE's European focus may insulate it from immediate US state law pressure.
Sources: