Technology
California lawmakers pass Linux exemption from upcoming age-verification law
Assembly Bill 1856 exempts open-source operating systems from state age-data collection mandates set to take effect in 2027.
The short version
- California lawmakers unanimously passed Assembly Bill 1856, which exempts open-source operating systems distributed under permissive and copyleft licenses like GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache from state age-verification requirements.
- Proprietary operating systems such as Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android must still collect user age data during device account setup beginning January 1, 2027.
- The legislation now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed the original Digital Age Assurance Act last year.
Key facts
- The California Senate passed Assembly Bill 1856 in a 39-0 vote on August 26, and the Assembly concurred the next day, sending the bill to Governor Gavin Newsom.[Hacker News]
- The bill exempts software distributed under open-source licenses such as GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache, removing distributions like Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and GrapheneOS from age-verification rules.[Hacker News]
- Proprietary operating systems remain subject to the Digital Age Assurance Act and must begin collecting user age data during account setup on January 1, 2027.[Hacker News]
- The amendments create exemptions for software components distributed through package managers and browser extension stores, while adding a safe harbor provision protecting platforms from liability over inaccurate age signals.[Hacker News]
- Assemblymember Buffy Wicks authored both the original Digital Age Assurance Act and the AB 1856 amendments.[Hacker News]
What remains uncertain
- It is not yet clear whether SteamOS is covered under the exemption, as its base components are open source but Valve packages the operating system alongside its proprietary client software.[Hacker News]