Linux devs are fighting the new age-gated internet

A date of birth box in front of lines of code

In January, Colorado lawmakers introduced a proposal to make operating systems collect users’ ages and pass them to app developers. The bill, SB26-051, had clearly been designed for commercial platforms like iOS and Android – one of numerous plans to age-gate the internet through users’ devices. It was intended to provide information that would let developers disable age-inappropriate experiences for kids. But as it made the rounds online, Linux laptop maker Carl Richell read the proposal with dismay.

Carl Richell is the founder and CEO of Dever-based System76, which also develops the Pop!_OS Linux distribution. The law, he realized, would …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Read more @ TheVerge

Latest posts

Kalshi adds required employment verification for some prediction market bets

The CFTC is considering its first regulation for prediction markets, as arrests over "insider trading" on everything from military operations to Google Search data...

Apple, Google add support for Thread 1.4

The Google TV Streamer has been updated to Thread 1.4, allowing you to access a way to manually share its Thread credentials. | Photo...

Xbox warns of a ‘reset’ as it prepares for layoffs

Microsoft's Xbox division will be hit with significant layoffs next month, according to people familiar with Microsoft's plans. The company has been preparing for the...

Nearly a million passports and photo IDs were left unprotected on the public internet

Typing a few letters and numbers into my web browser, I find myself gaping at the identity documents of complete strangers. The passport...

Apple’s new Siri AI knows when to shut up

Apple's new Siri AI is finally here, and so far, it seems like it works. I have access and have been messing around with...

Framework delays its first Laptop 13 Pro shipments by a month

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro is delayed. The new 13-inch Framework flagship was set to launch in June, but shipments from the first batch...

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’

Bluesky will be getting "communities," which will function as smaller spaces where you can "go deeper and hang out with people who care about...

Google releases Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 for Pixel

After the big release at I/O 2026 last month, Google is rolling out Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 for Pixel devices. Read more @ 9to5google

Here’s everything new in Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 [Gallery]

With Android 17 QPR1 Beta 4 today, Google is rolling out a much needed update that addresses various bugs from the last big release. Read...

‘HeyPolo’ is a privacy-first family safety & location sharing app from the team behind Surfshark

Our smartphones can do a lot, but perhaps one of the most underrated things they can do is offer some serious peace of mind...