California Banned Your Operating System: Age verification mandates and FOSS
MCLD 2012 | Fri 07 Aug 10:45 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Presented by
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Eric Schultz
@https://social.treehouse.systems/@wwahammy
https://wwahammy.com
Eric Schultz is a Principal Software Engineer at Software for Good and a Digital Autonomy activist who is passionate about the promise and reality of free and open source software for user empowerment, especially those from marginalized groups. Previously, he worked as Chief Technology Officer at CommitChange until becoming CommitChange Technical Lead upon the project’s acquisition. Before starting at CommitChange, in addition to software engineering, Eric served as Community Manager for multiple open source foundations, consulted with organizations on building open source software projects and advised the FCC on technical and practical issues around open source router technology. Eric lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, where outside of work he enjoys watching the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks and researching family history.
Eric Schultz
@https://social.treehouse.systems/@wwahammy
https://wwahammy.com
Eric Schultz is a Principal Software Engineer at Software for Good and a Digital Autonomy activist who is passionate about the promise and reality of free and open source software for user empowerment, especially those from marginalized groups. Previously, he worked as Chief Technology Officer at CommitChange until becoming CommitChange Technical Lead upon the project’s acquisition. Before starting at CommitChange, in addition to software engineering, Eric served as Community Manager for multiple open source foundations, consulted with organizations on building open source software projects and advised the FCC on technical and practical issues around open source router technology. Eric lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, where outside of work he enjoys watching the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks and researching family history.
Abstract
Seemingly weekly, a new center-left or left-leaning government proposes requiring OS-level Age Attestation APIs. Already required in Brazil and starting in 2027 in California, these laws require operating system providers to pass age information about the device user to any third-party application that requests it. Eric Schultz dives into the effect of these laws and the politics around them in the FOSS community, the furor in the Desktop Linux community over compliance, their effect on the safety of minors (especially from marginalized communities), why they think they are gaining traction among left-leaning politicians, and how this crisis challenges the FOSS community's relationship to the wider world.
Seemingly weekly, a new center-left or left-leaning government proposes requiring OS-level Age Attestation APIs. Already required in Brazil and starting in 2027 in California, these laws require operating system providers to pass age information about the device user to any third-party application that requests it. Eric Schultz dives into the effect of these laws and the politics around them in the FOSS community, the furor in the Desktop Linux community over compliance, their effect on the safety of minors (especially from marginalized communities), why they think they are gaining traction among left-leaning politicians, and how this crisis challenges the FOSS community's relationship to the wider world.