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Systemd v261-rc1 is out with the 'birth date field' (lemmy.ca)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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For those interested on the question of age verification and GNU/Linux: be aware that Systemd v261-rc1 was recently released. It now implements an optional birth date field in the JSON user database (see second item under "Other changes").

The implementation of this field was prompted by age-verification or -attestation laws.

(Age-verification status of Open Source Operating Systems.)

all 65 comments

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[–] 83 points 5 months ago (2 children)

January 1st, 1970

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    • [–] 29 points 5 months ago (12 children)

    Could someone explain to me why numerous Linux development groups are jumping on board with this bullshit? This is I think the third such post I've read that a distro or however you call it, is integrating the age check. Since when does the Linux community get on board with Big Brother????

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  • [–] 33 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    A surprising amount of people in the open source community lean alt-right including the lead dev of systemd, some of FUTO, and others like hyprland, etc. Others like the actual dev that committed the age field code to systemd state they are apolitical but in reality are actually enabling those that want to do harm.

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  • [–] 7 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    This attack is no limited to "alt-right", it is across the political spectrum. Ex. there are plenty of lefty states implementing these laws.

    Authoritarian is still authoritarianism whether it's from left or right.

    (I'd also argue that software development is generally filled with leftists, I think the recent rise of prominent right-leaning developers is in reponse to many projects forgoing politically neutrality)

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago

    That's fair. Authoritarianism across the board is inherently anti-free and will give rise to enshittified or unsecure software given enough time. We're not only dealing with bigots that can't stand living on the same planet as others they don't understand, but also those that want strict authority and enforcement.

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  • [–] -5 points 5 months ago (7 children)

    Because it's a legal requirement in some areas now.

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  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    But who is checking? Last I read, these laws were created in a few states as a preventative measure against potential Federal laws that could push these issues even further. I haven't heard of any enforcement plans to date or anything about how it should report, just "add age verification to operating systems."

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  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    It's not up to the systemd team to decide for you what your risk tolerance is. They're just providing a means to be compliant should you want/need it.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Collaborators. All of you that welcome this or push it.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Exactly. I don’t get it. No matter how you lean politically, if you’re part of the dev community not just making software but building Linux - there’s an inherent sense of freedom and liberty in your endeavors. So unless these guys are long-seeded poison pills, I just don’t get the mentality. Don’t do it. Let it be someone else’s job. A someone else who is theoretical.

    It just surprises me is all. In Linux of all places. One of the last remaining bastions of truly open, free, transparent and cooperative, voluntary yada yada. All that. It doesn’t gel with licking boots and willingly doing this shit without being forced. Also, they’re literally spitting on their devoted users and encouraging them to change to a different system.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    That Linux has to have this? B. S. There’s no way that could be enforced. Make every edition an alpha testing release. Make it not work. Whatever you have to do. Just don’t capitulate and immediately do their exact bidding.

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    • [–] 27 points 5 months ago (2 children)

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    • [–] 32 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    It’s sad because at some point, when mainstream browsers will actually rely on systemd for that, website will block you.

    Given enough time and ressources, that age control will hit hard like DRM.

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  • [–] -3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    It's a field in the users database on your own device. You can change it yourself. If something stupid like that would happen you could bypass it entirely by just setting the field to something else.

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    • [–] 62 points 5 months ago (24 children)

    Yes, right next to the fields for your full name and address, all of which are optional. It’s a total nothingburger.

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  • [–] 22 points 5 months ago (8 children)

    Did you ignore the comment in the github where it, and I quote "Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc.". Yes it is optional NOW, but this is in preparation of laws that make it legally Mandatory. Don't down play this.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Miss me with this "slippery slope" BS.
    Having a standardized place to store the DOB is a good thing and it should have been there even before these laws.
    And if some users want to comply with those laws, then they should have a way to do it.
    If anybody actually tries to make this a hard requirement (which isn't going to happen), then you can bitch about it at that time.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    What you quote is the justification why a new field should be added. You can't just say e.g. a Wardrobe number should be added without justifying it, otherwise it won't be accepted. You can say a Wardrobe number should be added because recent scientific developments suggest that some wardrobes open up new worlds, so it became necessary to extend the address field.

    This doesn't mean systemd would enforce anything or go into the politics of certain jurisdictions. It just enables distros to use this field, and it's up to the distros what they want to do with it.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (12 children)

    Yeah just because they build cages for kids in the desert near the border doesn't mean anything's going to happen! It's just optional infrastructure in case you want to put your kids in a cage. It's totally voluntary.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (11 children)

    There are genuinely useful use cases for it, and unlike what you suggest it is completely harmless.

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  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (7 children)

    Is everyone ignoring the direct quote in the orginal post that is referring to laws (California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025)) that are going to force you to verify your age?

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  • [–] 8 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    No; I think these bills are terrible and should be resisted. But the outrage about (what is effectively) a database on your pc to store information that itself doesn't do anything is ridiculous.

    If abyone wants or needs to implement a system like that (could be for work,for example), that's perfectly fine. What isn't fine is the existence of the laws in the first place, and they shouldn't be resisted with (just) technology.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    I get what you're saying, but I think the strong objection is that implementing this now, right when these BS laws are being put into place, goes against one of the fundamental principles that Linux is built on. And doing this is a willful action toward capitulating to Big Brother - because we all know this doesn't stop with just put your b-day in and we will just trust you. This is a stepping stone toward more and more control and verified ID. Any part of the Linux community that does not openly defy this and stand against it will invariably be looked at as traitorous and collaborator. And if you take a moment and think about what this community stands for (yes, there's a philosophy it's not just software; there are very distinct ethical principles represented by Linux, regardless whether you dismiss this or not), it's clear that this adding of the field now, to accommodate this Big Brother shit, is dispicable in the extreme.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    So you support adding a field for your SSN too? It's just going to be stored in a database on your PC so why not??

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Not invested enough to be for or against it personally; just curious...

    What are the user-beneficial use cases for it?

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    I could imagine a parental control setup using this information, for example. Linux is really behind in this regard and it's time it started catching up IMO.

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    • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    Is the default value set to "True"?

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    • [–] 14 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    This is the end. Everyone switch to FreeBSD.

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    • [–] 3 points 5 months ago*

    It seems systemd is also enshittifying flatpaks. Those damned Gnome devs man, I can't.

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    [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    Where is the patch to roll this back? I hope i can one day soon sudo apt install not-today-nazis

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    [–] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    Anyone know the status of Chimera Linux wrt age verification?

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