Lmao does the register really cite Reddit as a source? it was a cesspool off missinformation on the CA bill, I doubt it’s any better on the CO one.
Why not link to the actual bill like it does for other states?
It’s also wildly disingenuous to lump the bills that require verification and those that just require an OS store an unverified age and return it, but that’s what I’d expect from reddit.
There’s still valid concern about this being a foot in the door tactic. Once an OS complies with this request what will the next one be? Why should this even be allowed?
Either way though, the reddit citation is a bit unnerving.
It has to be a foot in the door. If all they do is say apps have to do this, it’s ineffective at best. More than likely it’s dangerous because now you have built the gate and whoever comes after you can just hire the bouncer to stand in front of it (or rather contract it out to the cheapest shittiest companies imaginable). I can’t imagine this isn’t part of their plan because if wasn’t, you could still download an exe, MSI, deb, appimage, docker container, flatpack from anywhere and install it. Essentially the age game would do nothing except discourage use of the MS store, which is about the only good thing about it. :D
Sure, but reddit (& Lemmy) hyperventilating about this as if the milktoast laws are the same as full retenal scanning verified by Palantir has completely destroyed any sort of sensible discussion around this.
Personally I think doing nothing isn’t an option and so the unverified age API approach is the least bad solution i’ve seen.
And much better than pushing the verification server side. The main argument I’ve seen against it is either:
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slippery nipples means that at some point a different worse law could be passed, which is possible, but worse laws have already been passed elsewhere so if that was the intent they could have gone for it in CA/CO
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Parents should watch their kids better, which is disingenuous as this is litterally adding a tool to help do that in a standard way, rather than some flakey survailance app.
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I don’t want either. And it’s a slippery slope to the next stage, and the next. Eventually we will have no control over what we own and zero privacy.
A local API is slippery nipples to a survailance state who knew.
Why use a computer at all, it’s the first step towards mass surveillance, better go back to the abacus!
Why use a computer at all, it’s the first step towards mass surveillance, better go back to the abacus!
This but unironically
I’m so glad someone who can fight it is fighting it. They usually listen to companies more than people.
I’m saddened Democrats are pushing this before the midterms. They’re going to fumble this if they keep on this track.
Thank you System76.
Fucking raise hell and cause chaos. Age checks are bullshit. All while our government is filled with corruption and pedophiles. Maybe stop listening to such an immoral entity.
This is the way. Come to the anarchist side. We have less cookies and a lot of FOSS
There are SOOOOOO many ways to implement age verification checks. And this is one of the worst. What is wrong with people
It’s because the goal is surveillance
But who the fuck is actually introducing these bills? Which entity/organisation/individual/company are they getting the ideas from?
There is a (conspiracy) theory that Meta lobbies this shit in order to avoid having to verify the users’ age and not being culpable in case a minor uses their service.
Which entity/organisation/individual/company are they getting the ideas from?
The mainstream media.
Thiel and the Heritage Foundation
An “I am an adult” checkbox in your OS that gets propagated out is probably the most privacy centric way to lock down kid accounts right?
They want to require IDs which requires validation, which requires a central authority. Any websites you hit that require the check will request it from the OS which will need to verify with central authority. So they’ll know what websites your hitting.
Yup, the REAL goal here is to get an ID associated with an IP address to remove your anonymity from the web.
Governments already have an ID associated with an IP. There is no ISP that im aware of that lets you register anonymously.
Dynamic IPs, VPNs…
Dynamic IPs still have an ID associated. VPNs most can be subpoena for the true IP. Yes you can hide your IP but only a tiny fraction are doing that work and this law isnt going to affect them.
But the IDs are reused, they can really only track you while you’re using the internet.
This is different than the legislation being pushed in CA then, sorry it’s hard to keep up with the global enshittification of everything
People responding to this are right about their actual intentions, but yeah. I think if you wanted to go about doing this the right way it would be an “I’m an adult” or a “this device is primarily used by a child” checkmark that could be locked down behind an administrative password.
That’s it. That’s all you really need if your intention was actually just makeing sure kids couldn’t wander into a part of the internet not made for them. Everything else, verification, that’s just surveillance bullshit being bolted on top.
But that is effectively what this bill does, just rather than a check box it is a date entry. There is no verification requirement. Only indication (attestation).
Respectfully I disagree. What I’m describing here is a checkmark. It’s a flag that gets turned on presumably by a parent and turned off presumably when the kid comes of age or gets their own computer or whatever. There is no date attached. There’s no personally identifiable information that your operating system is collecting and distributeing without your knowledge. At worst it’d allow people to be sorted into above and below certain ages, that’s it.
I get that what’s being proposed does not require verification (for now, way things are going I don’t necessarily expect that to stick). But even if your assuming good intent on the part of these law makers and corporations I still believe entering a date is too much of an invasion of privacy. If this is something we have to do (which I don’t believe it is but idiots seem to be forcing the issue) then it should be done with the least amout of data possible. That means a yea or nay on a binary checkbox.
Just to clarify the law does not allow your os to transmit your dob. Only your age bracket.
I’m aware, I just think the bracket is too much information. Besides, laws can be changed and increasingly laws are broken with zero repercussions. What is to stop Microsoft from not “transmitting” the information yet still using it internally for targeted advertising? Honestly the raw date of birth isn’t even needed for that. An age bracket would do fine and as far as I’m aware there are zero restrictions on Microsoft using that.
No, if your actually only interested in protecting kids, I think this is vast overkill. This is a mesure for surveillance and advertising and I think age brackets are more than sufficient for accomplishing that.
… and I’m grateful for that but maybe we can finally decouple from OEM for OSes? Maybe could JUST buy a computer and not be forced an OS on it?
Sure I admit it feels nice to unwrap a new device, turn it on, set up few options and use it. Yet, the alternative it to turn it on, plug a USB drive on it, turn it on, set up few options, wait for 15min tops for installation to proceed and use it.
It’s actually a ~15min difference but it could bring so many good practices.
Most people today think computers like toasters, they don’t mind what OS they use or how to setup it. They want it to be ready to use right after they get it to the home. Similar as toasters or microwave ovens, you don’t expect to have to do any setup work for them. I don’t think it’s a good way to start using the computer, but unfortunately most people are that kind of people. That’s why Linux will never be the mainstream OS, no matter how hard you try to convince people to install and use it.
Linux will never be the mainstream OS
The SteamDeck prove that wrong, it’s already mainstream.
But you see, you don’t need to install it yourself, it’s just a plug and play.
I don’t understand the argument. Linux already is mainstream since there are millions (number out of my ass, I don’t actually know) of devices people buy and “just” use Linux. Those clients are no tinkerers or developers, “just” gamers including I bet a significant proportion who are not even adults. My bet is when those people are asked “Are you using Linux?” they either don’t know, or don’t care, and yet when they finally realize they are actually using Linux daily they probably think “Wow, it’s not that complicated, it just works” and thus it will change mindsets at scale.
Im sorry if you don’t understand what I’m trying to say, I think it’s because I have very poor English skills. I tried to say that people don’t want to have computer, which they need to install operating system before they can use it. And because almost every computer has Windows or macOS when you buy it, why would they want to start installing anything other? Only people who are keen on computers are willing to do that. I use Linux BTW.
Your English is good don’t worry about it. What I meant to say is that we should stop talking about a hypothetical time when Linux would become mainstream, that’s in the past. It’s mainstream since at least since February 2022 when the Steam Deck became a commercial success.
I agree, most people are lazy and/or ignorant
I wouldn’t buy a car if I had to install my own engine or dashboard. “You selected the x322 dash. Here are your parts and a manual. Good luck!” It shouldn’t be surprising if 99% of the population doesn’t want a similar experience with their devices. PCs and such have become consumer devices, not hobbyist ones.
Exactly this.
This is beyond 99% of the population who just want it to work out of the box. This would be impossible with any apple hardware also.
I genuinely feel like there’s an appriciable percentage of the population that don’t even know that other operating systems exist. For whom Windows is “the computer” and for whom even Apple being a separate operating system is a difficult concept to grasp. If that’s truely the state technical literacy is in with a sizable slice of the population, then it’s quite the hurtle even explaining the basics of what Linux is. Let alone using it.
Computers used to work this way.
You could even ship the computer with the USB stick pre-installed.
And this wouldn’t be impossible with Apple hardware; it has a bootloader built in that can boot from any functional and signed OS; could be Apple supplied, or something like Asahi. Or, with such a rule in place, they may also be required to not get in the way of installing other OSes and have to fully document the boot process and driver registration process, preventing signature-based lockdown completely.
Well 100% in fact as that’s NOT the definition of “out of the box”.
But then people would have to learn. That’s scawy 🥺
Learn about a tool that is basically in the middle of some of the most crucial interactions in their lives? From receiving an email to vote, to booking an appointment to get a passport, to working, to dating, to browsing an encyclopedia, to entertainment broadly, to creating music, to …?
I’ll stop there but yes, even though learning is scary I think if the safety net is clear enough (namely you just can’t mess up so badly your brand new computer won’t work) then it’s worth investing in.
You don’t need to convince me. I’m all for people having a basic understanding of the tools they use on a daily basis.
But my observation is that people seem predominantly opposed to the idea.
Dead ass, just ship it with the latest Linux kernel, users can do the rest lol
Linux for personal use can be undependable. I have a use case where I don’t mind configuring stuff, but once setup I need that shit to mf work every time all the time and it not working results in direct loss and depending on when potentially substantial loss. I say this as an avid linux user.
Funfact, debit and credit card chips all have tiny OS’s on them. Guess its back to swipping mag strips
Also likely also counts for the mag strip readers.
Motorized scooters and eBikes all have OSes too — as do most modern traffic lights, speed and red light cameras, baby monitors, alarm systems, heart rate monitors, “smart” anything, televisions, household appliances, chair lifts, city water management systems, and pretty much all other actively managed infrastructure.
Your average car has at least three separate operating systems in it — usually a LOT more.
Hello Fellow Lemmings,
I called a few of my state reps and senators about this. I wasn’t able to get through to Matt Ball, but I spoke with a member of Paschall’s staff who was very polite and helpful despite our disagreements. i also spoke to my own rep’s staff but they were not terribly tech savvy. As I suspected, to some degree, this is being framed as an attempt to introduce a less harmful scheme and set the standard before the feds or peer pressure from other states does. Apparently Paschall is meeting with System 76 soon and I asked her aid to let me know what comes of that. I still think it’s bullshit and it’s crazy to try this with a backdrop of eroding right, liberties, overreach of law enforcement, and mass surveillance of the American people. The Democrats can’t do shit for their liberal constituents, but they’re kneeling at the feet of the Republicans begging to cooperate anytime they want to do anything authoritarian “for the public good.”
Interesting thing about Colorado: we have a ballot initiative process to amend the state constitution where if a citizen collects enough signatures to get an issue on the ballot, we get to vote on it. I don’t know who is fighting against this legislation, I’ve done research and all I can find is the EFF, a few articles, and now System76. I would like to plug in to lobby against this sort of thing. How dope would it be if they passed it only to have us unpass it and collect enough signatures to get a constitutional amendment banning all identity and age verification and declaring that the power lies with the parents onto the ballot.
With that said, a tolerable outcome would be if retailers selling PCs into Colorado were required to include a bundled copy of parental control software unless the customer declines it. This gives parents the opportunity and a slight push to get involved. Do I need a copy of NortonAVGDefenderChildWatchProMAX to be bundled with every new NAS I buy? No. Is it better than the shit they’re proposing now, yes.
If you read to the end, please call Ball, Paschal, and the other cosponsors and let them know that the Democratic party is taking a huge risk by shitting on their constituents by pulling out such a controversial issue at such a inopportune time. Tell them to vote NO!
Here’s a link to the text and the sponsors: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051
PopOS best distro (?)
It’s been a solid one for a long time. I haven’t tried their new Cosmic based one recently, but it was always good.
no but you can use it anyway if you want
Thats like asking what hammer is best. You can use most if not all to drive nails, but not all are best suited for the task.
Pop_OS lets Ubuntu drive fast and break things while focusing hardware/driver support, makes it great for video games. The only program Ive ever had issues with is Davinci Resolve, but those issues with linux compatibility are of their own creation, not the OSs.
Are we talking about biological age or mental age which means that most adults are still just honey teens with just a tad better impulse control?
Honey teens sounds like a twister variant invented on Epstein island
