this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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This is a whole new level for system level fingerprinting
Am I missing something or would the following not meet the requirements?
Add a module that does the following:
On first account login to an interactive interface, ask for an age category (<=13, 15-15,16-17,18+). So a value between 0 and 3. Store that somewhere alongside user-level application settings. Include a library for applications to link against. Library contains one function, that function just returns whatever value was stored before.
I think that meets their bare minimum while also demonstrating just how dumb this is.
It wouldn't. It would require a dedicated server to ping constantly and also an API that applications should use to ask the computer for age in background. Everyone could therefore us this data to fingerprint users..this makes everything even dumber and more prone for mass surveillance
EDIT: Sorry for the misunderstanding. Thanmk you for correcting me
No, you're just wrong. The law just says, there needs to be a local API, that apps can use to ask, what of 4 age brackets the user is in. That's basically it. There is nothing about some online server that needs to hold that data.
No, sorry, you’re wrong. Go read the bill, particularly section 1798.501.b, 1798.502.a and b. Every developer of every application that can be downloaded from every package system MUST request your age bracket every time it is downloaded. And possibly every time it is launched. Basic utilities like ‘ls’ and ‘cat’, that pong example I pushed as a test, everything.
But they could still just request the age bracket that is stored on the system at the time of download, no?
It's not at all impossible, it just has to be implemented.
That is correct. Every program that is downloadable on the internet, from a big commercial application store, a open source repository, a single project webpage, or a random personal hobby site that has a single file on it that gets an update after 1/1/2026 must request your age bracket when it is downloaded. Or launched. Every singe one, every single time.
Since I took at look at your user profile, that means you would need to add that to all of your github and itch.io projects. And if they are included in some other packaging system, you better be sure that they are doing it as well. Otherwise you will be personally responsible for a $2500-$7500 fine every time a kid downloads one of your games. Your site has a direct download, so what are you going to do to implement that?
Impossible? Certainly not. But why the fuck should we have to do that? Why should every bit of code you put up on the internet be required to check the age API every time it is run? What are you going to do?
Yeah, don't get me wrong, this is an insane law. It makes no sense and it is utterly ridiculous and dystopian.
I am just saying, that it is still manageable to continue, we shouldn't give up. We should continue to fight against this law, but we can also realistically keep distributing our software regardless of this law.
I think, the age thing only has to be implemented by the operating system, not by every piece if software. We as app developers can then choose to use an API to age restrict our apps, if we want to.
We just have to make sure our app isn't recognized as an operating system in itself.
I’m definitely not saying we give up, but this absolutely does impact every developer, not just OS developers. Go read the bill, but here are the relevant parts:
Based on a very narrow reading of the “covered application store” definition, a personal website that only has applications developed by that person might be able to get around the age bracket request, but the application itself is still covered. As things like itch.io, crates.io, flathub, PyPI, and every package repo.
Nothing in the law requires some kind of online server. Only a local API, which a local library that can be linked is. And it only requires age to bebe described in four brackets, hence just storing a value 0-3. Didn't see anything obvious as to why this wouldn't actually meet the requirements, while being as dumb and pointless as possible.