I have heavy respect for Louis Rossman, as he's one of the very few, who actually are trying to defend our rights, in a sea of abusers & attackers, who are bent on making our world, a dystopian lifestyle. Louis covers California throwing its weight around, messing with System76, makers of POP OS.
This is not really accurate. The legislation targets ALL operating systems with age verification that have an app store. MidnightBSD have already announced that Californian residents can no longer use MidnightBSD 
nb. be careful or this thread will get closed 
I just linked to Louis's video, a respected member in the tech space. I'm also a moderator here, I am fairly certain I didn't violate our rules in doing so. @Aravisian our leading moderator, please confirm?
Ya nothing cali does anymore is a big surprise..but he did make a point first its this then it leads to that..way of the world now...guess get used to it.... 
I guess, because of the political Relation here. Something like this can easily overcook.
To the Topic: Age Verification is a Topic here in Europe, too. And how it is handled from Politics ... You cold think that some of them never used the Internet but okay. I'm not totally against that because I think for Stuff like Websites offering pornographic Content it is in my Opinion right to verify the Age.
The Issue is more in what amount that happens and the technical Way of the Verifiying Process.
Age verification would not be needed as site blocking to sites can be done with:
Setting OpenDNS at the router with site blocking by parents.
Purchasing a Fairphone with /e/OS 3.x with parental controls which not only prevents access to dodgy sites but blocks access to Social Media. Much better than online safety legislation.
People look at how good products are but they don't check what safety measures are available. What is needed is Education programmes for parents who are not IT savvy.
I would doubt that most People know how to do that. And don't forget the Ignorance. Most People don't care about Stuff like that. So, I wouldn't expect a big Change with Stuff like this.
Age Verification is another BS buzzword to mislead people. The real purpose is to force users to enter personal data so they can verify it as active and valid and sell it to data brokers.
Not unlike "Experience Interruptions?" popping up on YouTube. When you click it, Google knows you're using an ad blocker.
Who says that this is the real Reason? It is an Opinion and of Course You are free to have that. But that doesn't mean that it is a Fact.
Because they are already trying this with internet entities like YouTube and have already been shown to be ineffective for age verification, but great for data verification.
retail has already jumped on this by asking shoppers if they want an e-receipt or just the printed one. They want to verify your e-mail address or phone number for marketing purposes.
Anyone who thinks government or big business cars about us as more than product to control and exploit is a fool.
While @RealBLAlley's speculation is not a factual account; It does demonstrate how such a system can be abused.
Age Verification is not a real solution. It is the illusion of trying for a solution, in order to meet political pressure, without actually solving an issue.
The problem with Online Content is that any method to monitor it for safety can be abused or subverted as easily.
Users like RealBLAlley will distrust it for the data it can abuse; Others will distrust that it actually is able to prevent Online Harm.
Laws are often over-simplified blanket rules; not well thought out measurements of success.
I agree with you and @Ponce-De-Leon, both - this is a GNuLinux issue and should be discussed.
Also, I agree with @Nirozzz's observation that this thread can derail easily.
In many ways, this thread mirrors the topic.
You see, the members here showing careful consideration of relaying accurate and grounded information is quite similar to users of the internet being discriminating with their usage.
Rather than a blanket law that says "We cannot even discuss that which affects and pertains to us" - We say "be smart."
Let's be sure to avoid
What the Law says:
That Operating Systems and Applications must include age verification on any Account or Hosting service that deals with sales and online content that may affect minors.
MidnightBSD or PopOS can cite a lack of centralized account holding, making the ability to meet the California law very difficult to navigate. This will affect California residents currently. If the trend continues, it can affect other states, like Texas which is floating a stricter law, as well.
So sad, so bad. I remember as a Motorcyclist reading a California law that stated that a Honda CX500 motorcycle with 'Comstar' wheels had to pass a test that the tyres could absorb an impact from 90 degrees and not be dislodged from the wheels before it could be allowed to be sold in California.
A provider of Braille Embossers in the UK once told me this joke.
A pumah had attacked a California farmer's livestock. The farmer wanted to put it down. There was public outcry and the request was made to protect the pumah by providing it with it's own enclosure. However, the cost was prohibitive, $100,000 so they captured it and released it in a neighboring state (the name I can't remember, possibly Texas?) The governor of the state where the pumah was relocated was out jogging. The pumah attempted to attack said governor who shot the pumah dead. Cost 50₵.
As @Aravisian has already stated people will find loopholes. Underage gamers are using an image from the game they are not supposed to have access to as a method of age verification and getting away with it.
Swarf, really?
Fact Checking:
There is no truth in this story.
California has no law that meets what you describe - or even close.
It just does not exist.
There are FMVSS laws that govern impacts, tire beading etc. None specify 90 degree impacts nor Comstar Wheels.
These are federal and cover all fifty states.
The second story is a "Joke" and fiction and all of it is off topic.
Your post was all about California bashing, using fiction.
ME: This topic should be discussed and we should trust our members to self-moderate.
Swarfendor437: I immediately demonstrate the opposite!
I have complex and mixed feelings about age verification and such. This video, however, puts my mind at ease.
Something that no one talks about is that the internet had a wealth of information well before social media came along. I don't buy the angle that "kids can't access help". There's plenty of places to get help that aren't Facebook.
They're spot on that govs tackling the wrong end of the problem: "regulating billionaires is hard"
The law about motorcycles was reported in a motorcycle magazine back in the late 1970s. California itself is not the problem but those who govern (in any state in any part of the world) and those who 'influence' governance, usually parties that lobby behind closed doors. Proof that democracy is a pipe dream.
I found it wired that they aim at the OS providers and not the software developers. Using a computer should be OK as kids use it in school as well.
Why they are not forcing the social media platforms to introduce the age verification?
requires every operating system provider in California to collect age information from users at account setup and transmit that data to app developers via a real-time API, with the law taking effect on January 1, 2027.
The law's broad definition of an "operating system provider" — anyone who "develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device" — pulls in not just Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, but Linux distributions
Interesting is the last paragraph, I guess it will bring more users towards Linux:
Enforcement against Linux distributions, however, is likely to be problematic. Distros like Arch, Ubuntu, Debian, and Gentoo have no centralized account infrastructure, with users downloading ISOs from mirrors worldwide, and can modify source code freely. These small distros lack legal teams or resources to implement the required API, so a more realistic outcome for non-compliant distros is a disclaimer that "the software is not intended for use in California".
