Someone Forked Systemd to Strip Out Its Age Verification Support

9 hours ago

systemd is the default init system and service manager in most major Linux distributions.
A recent controversial addition to systemd is the 'birthDate' field for user records, tied to age verification laws in certain regions.
The 'birthDate' field is optional, admin-only, and not used by systemd itself, but intended for compliance by other projects.
Despite being optional, the addition has sparked backlash, leading to the creation of a fork called 'Liberated systemd'.
Liberated systemd aims to remove surveillance-enabling code, specifically the 'birthDate' field and related functionalities.
The fork is maintained by a single developer and is currently behind the mainline systemd by 37 commits.
It remains uncertain if Liberated systemd will evolve beyond a protest fork, but it highlights community concerns over privacy and surveillance.

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