Objections to systemd age-attestation changes go overboard

9 hours ago

A pull request was submitted to systemd to add a field for storing a user's birth date to comply with age-attestation laws, which has sparked significant controversy.
The backlash against the change has been extreme, with the contributor receiving doxxing, death threats, and personal attacks fueled by misinformation campaigns.
Age attestation involves self-reporting birth dates under local control, distinct from age verification that requires third-party proof like government IDs.
Misinformation from sites like The TBOTE Project and malicious content creators has exacerbated the controversy by framing the change as a sinister plot.
The community response is seen as misguided, as the change merely provides a storage option and doesn't enforce age verification or compliance on its own.
Reasonable objections exist, such as concerns about systemd's portability and potential legal exemptions for open-source systems, but these were discussed civilly.
Attacking maintainers is ineffective; combating such laws requires supporting organizations like the EFF, as seen with successful advocacy against the EU's CRA.

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