this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2026
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They're being the adults in the room by seeking legal guidance and not prematurely putting their foot in their mouth. We must be patient. The penalties on some of these laws could be fatal, even to the biggest foss players.
And what would those penalties be? If you are not based in the country having these moronic laws, they can't do shit (see: fines for 4chan in the UK, fines for Google in Russia), except maybe 'banning' your distro, which amounts to nothing, since whoever is determined enough can just find it online anyways.
I think they'd just rather not find out. Or, rather, would like to be as prepared as possible to "get away with" not implementing it, or will find some middle way.
The hardliners here will complain that they're not saying "fuck you" to The Man forcefully enough. In reality, they do that just by existing. These guys are the backbone of digital sovereignty. If some of them fold and comply in advance, then yeah, fuck them in particular, but let the others cook. They're fighting for survival, not engaging in fan service.
Legal guidance for what? If California of the USA wants to ban Debian for not requiring age verification, let's see how that pans out for their tech companies.
Legal guidance is not necessary because these laws should not be followed. Stop letting the US impose its will on the rest of the world.
This is my thought process as well. Its ridiculous that a single state of the US - not even the entire country - can have so much sway over a global project.