Technology

That would be a completely unworkable law since devices may not even have internet connectivity, or a user interface. And even if they did, it would have a chilling effect on software development in California.

No doubt in response to Europe making its choice for software open source. Expect targeted attacks on FOSS to increase

Many people here are going off on wild tangents over this. You should just read the law, it's only a couple thousand words of quite plain English.

Many here have taken completely incorrect assumptions from the title. This law is for developers, not users.

Summary:

1. Requires OS devs ask for DOB, age, or both at account creation time.
2. Requires an API that allows app store devs to request this age data for the account. At minimum this API must signal that the account is a member of one of these categories: 'user under 13, user over 13 and under 16, user is over 16 and under 18, user is over 18'.
3. Explicitly bars OS devs from sending more data than explicitly necessary to meet 1 (hint: photo ID, facial recognition).
4. Explicitly bars app devs recieving the data from requesting more data from the OS nor the App store.
5. Bars app stores from using the data for any other reason and specifically calls out anticompetitive practices.
6. Bars app store and OS devs from sharing this data with any third party for any other reason than to comply with this law.
7. Has injunctions and civil penalties of $2500 (max per user) affected by negligent violations (eg a child account is served adult content), and $7500 (max per user) affected by intentional violations.

The only problem I have with this is that it should only apply to commercial software (app stores and OS). Libre/FOS software should not have to police ages on their app stores, due to their far reduced budgets (often zero), developer time, and the nature of the software being generally anti-centralized and anti-surveillance-capitalism. Though I'd be fine with it for FOSS software distributed via commercial app stores, as long as they gave a longer lead time to implement (EG a couple of years).

Saw someone say this on the last article I saw regarding this, but:

What's stopping the OSes from just putting "Not for use in California" on their product/website? Seems like a simple and easy fix lol.

No matter how hard they try, you can't legislate parenting.

What the fuck? This is ridiculous and it won't actually solve anything at all.

The law does not require photo ID uploads or facial recognition, with users instead simply self-reporting their age

That part is good at least. It also makes the California law an exercise in wasting everyone's time and money.

Yeah... no

This will not matter to most of linux, it’s non enforceable and easily circumvented.

But the issue is what they used for thumbnail. Steam deck.

Steam is bringing linux to the the masses but they won’t be able to sell any without complying to the part that all apps that can be installed must be able to ask the os to give this data.

The law does not require photo ID uploads or facial recognition, with users instead simply self-reporting their age, setting AB 1043 apart from similar laws passed in Texas and Utah that require "commercially reasonable" verification methods, such as government-issued ID checks.

I hate Newsom but this seems like a non-issue.

Yes but Newsom says funny things about bad orange man, so he's got my vote.

How old is my tomcat user? How about my various docker containers, are those separate OSes?

microslop and or palintir stink all over this, mroe than likely its the latter.

It’s just a simple DoB input, which can be local afaik