Linux in California is in deep trouble.

7 months ago by Mike to c/peertube

This new "privacy" law will require that all operating system providers must start collecting your birth date every app you install will need to ask your OS provider for that information. It's whac...

nicgentile 37 points 7 months ago

No it is not. There is no way this is enforceable. At all.

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snek_boi 9 points 7 months ago

That sounds positive. For us to see what you see, can you elaborate?

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RipLemmDotEE 9 points 7 months ago

Not the original commenter, but from what I've read, the laws would require operating systems to collect name and DOB in the user account setup process. No facial scans, photos, IDs or other verification required, so it seems very easily bypassed by simply lying.

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Dozzi92 5 points 7 months ago

And beyond that, couldn't one just access the non-Cali version? If they want me to verify my age, I'll just add lying about where I live to the list.

Fortunately, I'm from California-east (New Jersey), and we have actual problems over here, and so this isn't on the list. Yet.

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ThomasWilliams 1 point 7 months ago

Without a key you won't be able to access restricted material.

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yggstyle 5 points 7 months ago

Excuse me while I die laughing. Sure you regulated a site on the internet... But did you regulate all of them?

See also: the completely non existent piracy sites... And let's be honest every other thing that they totally scrubbed off the internet...

It'd be a shorter list to list things they successfully got rid of...

I'll start:

...

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michael 21 points 7 months ago

Other states are going to have the same kind of laws...and some go farther than Cali is going to right now: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/...

This is just the latest.

so now we may have a forked/pirate linux distros because people dont want to be age restricted and phone home.

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Stiggyman 8 points 7 months ago

I already have several Linux isos in my torrent.

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michael 3 points 7 months ago

Arch will probably have something that is plug and play to remove haha.

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django 3 points 7 months ago

Installation instructions will be in the wiki, should one need them due to regional laws.

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dsilverz 4 points 7 months ago

@michael@piefed.chrisco.me @peertube@lemmy.world

It's not just US states. Brazil got a new law (Lei nº 15.211 de 17/09/2025) which practically requires a similar, dystopian thing. Still Brazilian media outlets (and Brazilians around me) aren't even talking about this law, which will come into effect as soon as March 17th. What a depressing timeline. 😓

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Thcdenton 14 points 7 months ago

I will roll my own distro before I provide my data to the state or the corpos

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ThomasWilliams -22 points 7 months ago

You do know in Linux you have to have an account right ? Unlike Windows.

You are not anonymous.

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Thcdenton 19 points 7 months ago

What the hell are you talking about

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Ulrich 9 points 7 months ago

WTF are you talking about? Linux offers a local account, Windows ONLY offers a corporate account...

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ThomasWilliams -1 points 7 months ago

It does ? I'm using Windows now with NO account at all.

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Ulrich 1 point 7 months ago

Was that offered to you?

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Inucune 12 points 7 months ago

I'm sure every ATM, every kiosk, any machine accessible by a child will be updated to detect and immediately adjust it's function accordingly without any issues /s

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xxce2AAb 11 points 7 months ago

It really isn't.

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Inucune 10 points 7 months ago

Nope. You can't enforce it.

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Ulrich 4 points 7 months ago

Oh buddy, watch them try.

It's always hilarious to me that these politicians are incapable of picking up the phone and calling someone who knows a fucking thing about technology.

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Hiro8811 10 points 7 months ago

Why can't OS providers say that they don't operate in California anymore and be done with it?

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massive_bereavement 7 points 7 months ago

I guess going onwards most people will have their birthdate on 01/01/1970.

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DmMacniel 6 points 7 months ago

what a coincidink that's my birthdate!

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heyWhatsay 7 points 7 months ago

Just because a law is passed, doesn't mean you need to follow it. Just act like the 1%

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Treczoks 4 points 7 months ago

This happens when the people who define a law have no idea what they are talking about.

Even our central controller device would fall under this regulation. Which is so stupid that it hurts.

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hraegsvelmir 2 points 7 months ago

Unless there are any real consequences from having an OS on your hardware that doesn't comply, I would just expect most Linux users to grab their install images from mirrors hosted out of state. Even if they amend it to require the mirrors to try and locate visitors to automatically redirect California residents to the tampered images, a VPN would solve that pretty quickly. This just seems like posturing and maybe testing the waters with public reaction, but I'd be more concerned about what the crazier thing is that they'll ramp up to next if people don't raise a fuss over this one.

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