Ageless Linux: A Debian-based distro that is illegal to distribute in California
a day ago
- #Regulation
- #Linux
- #Privacy
- Ageless Linux is a Debian-based operating system that intentionally does not comply with California's AB 1043, which requires age verification for users.
- The project modifies `/etc/os-release` to identify as Ageless Linux, making it an 'operating system provider' under AB 1043, but refuses to collect age data.
- Users who run the conversion script also become 'operating system providers' under the law, creating a regulatory paradox.
- Ageless Linux plans to distribute sub-$15 single-board computers pre-loaded with non-compliant software to children, inviting legal action.
- The project argues AB 1043 is a 'compliance moat' that benefits large corporations while harming small open-source projects.
- Ageless Linux criticizes age verification as ineffective, teaching children to lie, and proposes honest advice instead of compliance prompts.
- The project includes a stub age verification API in standard mode and a flagrant mode that openly refuses compliance.
- Ageless Linux invites the California Attorney General to fine them for distributing non-compliant devices to children, framing it as a public statement.