FB Posting on Mar 24th 2026
When I read about the news of mandatory age verification laws, such as those emerging in California, Brazil, and the UK, I got all flustered and angry cuz’ that is in my very honest opinion, is certainly posing as a highly significant threat to the open-source software (FOSS) ecosystem and technical progress. By shifting age gating from application-level to operating-system or device-levels, these laws are placing the principles of anonymous access, decentralized development, and the free, open internet at GREAT risk.
Here are my deep concerns:-
- Its incompatibility with decentralized development and its destruction of developer anonymity: Many FOSS projects pride themselves on requiring zero personal data from users. Mandating age verification forces these projects to collect, verify, and store user identities, thus violating the ethos of privacy-centric, distributed software.
- It enforces Centralization: Projects that rely on decentralized distribution (e.g., torrents, git) would be forced to centralize to manage age-checking APIs and data compliance, making them easier to control, censor, or shut down.
- It creates Compliance costs: Small FOSS projects and individual developers lack the financial resources to implement costly “commercially reasonable” age verification solutions, which can cost more $$$ per check.
- Tech Hurdles on Open-Source OS developments
This one especially I am very angry and against – turning Operating Systems into Gatekeepers: These laws in regions like California (AB 1043) and Brazil (Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent) are simply aiming to turn operating systems into identity gatekeepers, forcing them to store user age signals and share them via API to apps!
WTF is that about??? Shouldn’t the job of monitoring childrens’ Internet access be left to the parents instead of tech savy opensource operating systems??? - Obstacles to Tech Progress and Innovation
Stifling Startups: Such age verification compliance acts only as a barrier to entry, protecting large, established tech corporations (Big Tech) while stifling smaller innovators who cannot afford the compliance costs. - Exclusion of Users: Legitimate users who lack government-issued IDs, such as marginalized groups, undocumented individuals in underdeveloped regions, will be unable to access vital, open-source technologies.
My only hope and shoutout now to ALL the Linux opensource development communities is to NOT surrender and succumb to these misaligned government laws and compliances, and keep their FOSS solutions out of these nefarious regulatory reaches.