California may let Linux bypass age check

Key Points:

• California's Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043), effective January 1, 2027, mandates age verification for operating system providers, app stores, and developers to protect children from online harms, but an amendment may exempt open source OS providers like Linux and FreeBSD.
• The proposed amendment excludes entities distributing software under licenses that allow copying, redistribution, and modification, potentially relieving open source projects from implementing age checks, though proprietary components like Valve's Steam Client may remain subject to the law.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation criticizes AB 1043 for outsourcing censorship to developers and threatening digital liberties, while similar age verification laws are being enacted or considered in at least 25 other states, including West Virginia and Colorado.
• Experts express skepticism about the effectiveness of age verification laws, noting that motivated minors can circumvent restrictions and that such laws may infringe on adults' First Amendment rights, with concerns about high refusal rates and the potential for monopolistic control over authentication processes.
• Legal analysis suggests courts may not view high refusal rates from age verification as a constitutional issue, and there are warnings that centralized authentication systems could create costly gatekeepers extracting fees from mandated compliance.