Yeah, I swear our world has gone completely mad. The promise of the internet back in 1995 is dead. Power is being abused against the people, and I am pretty sick of it. But hey, at least we can still choose our Linux distro's. Thats more then I can say for the normies still stuck with Windows 11.
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Australia has age verification laws for people under 16 and there have been literally dozens of ways to beat the joke of a system used here.
One of the most common is to buy a face mask at a joke shop and wear that.
Here is a podcast on what the reality is
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Might be an option https://agelesslinux.org/
Or OS Linux on a portable USB stick as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVOuUEIlF4Y
As someone who ran an international IT security company with offices all over the world (including California) I can tell you that California has no way to sue Zorin if no physical presence in state. You have no recognizable source of income from the state either. You are not even in the USA. So, don't worry about their laws. They can't even sue companies in the USA who are not in California and have no source of sales to attach.
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sorry to disappoint you but this age verification thing is discussed in very many nations including most parts of europe. if your country is garanteed to stay away from it until 2080 i'll consider immigrating.
This is a true point. Currently, few locations have adopted measures. It is enough that it may look like they can be ignored.
But the trend is gaining momentum. Many more nations and many US States are eyeing similar legislation.
Either, lawmakers will learn from the shortcomings of existing laws... Or repeat the same mistakes.
I will let others decide where their optimism lies on that.
Only a strong public push that outlines the shortcomings will have an effect.
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Ageless Linux would not be for me as the lead developer for Devuan has pointed out it still uses systemd.
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I am not a lawyer but I think one solution would be have a statement on the download page that would say that California residents must make their own code changes to the distribution themselves to comply with CA laws.
here is petition for Ireland
if anyone interested:
My 5 cents
is that you should be able go to Guards/Police station
and show them your id and get a code for your age bracket for use online
no scanning , no gov id uploaded , your data is not online then
No. This whole Age Verification on OS Level shouldn't exist. And Police Stations should care about important Stuff and not about this.
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Resistance to this will only work if all or almost all refuse to comply.
However, commercial Linux companies like Canonical have probably too much business to lose by not complying and will cave in.
The bigger elephant in the room is probably the EU client-side scanning law staring Jan. 2027, this is far more dangerous than age verification and distros should absolutely refuse to implement it, which would be very complex anyway. It would be the death of most OS that does implement this, except for the big names, Android, iOS and Windows, people using these have a very high tolerance for lack of privacy, or no other choice.
As I understand it, this is not a passed law, but a proposed one.
My 5 cents is avoid social media, period. I have never been interested.
Social Media is getting worse. An impending in-law who runs a video recording and photography business recently had his Facebook account revoked with no explanation other than "a breach of rules". They had 48 hours to appeal which they did as soon as they received notification. 20 minutes later the A.I. bot rejected the appeal. Not only did they lose their personal account but also the business account that was tied to it.
Personally I would ban all social media including WhatsApp, X, Instagram, Linked-In, Tik-Tok, and any other I have failed to mention.
Generations are spending far too much wasted time when they could be more active, keeping fit, playing sport, enjoying the fresh air and countryside.
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I agree with @swarfendor437
Its very easy to get pulled into social media, especially if you have no friends in real life. You may wish to join other's, to feel that connection. If you lost your parents when you were too young, you may also join social media, to re-gain that family love you lost for so long.
And heck, they might even consider you family to them as well! Since you are not real family by blood however, (just like your experience with people in high school) they can turn on you in an instant, and use all the drama, to increase their views and ratings.
You will learn the hard way, once you've lost your parents, thats it, you'll never re-gain that love again, and attempts to love them, will not be appreciated. At the end, you'll learn that social media, is nothing but a lie. Social media is nothing but a trap.
Thats why I say its like high school. Whats the first things you learn in high school folks? Everybody has their clicks, your the newbie, and you are not welcome in any of them. Stick around long enough, you get bullied. You think all that ends in adulthood?
Take a long look at social media, its adults acting like children, full of poison. You want my advice, stay far away from social media, it won't do you any good, but will do you a lot of harm.
I am at the point of my life now, where I stick to myself, I rarely talk to people. I have dealt with so much trauma, both as a child, and as an adult, I have literally given up on everything people say I should have.
Once I made that decision, and to stop trying anymore, I started to feel better, believe it or not. The world is not for me, I'm just forced to live it. But you can make a choice, either you can live around people who make you suffer, or you can not play the game, and live it how you see fit.
I chose to stop playing the game, and seeing how people are these days, I believe I made the right decision. Forget social media, it won't make your heart happy, it will only break it.
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The Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents (ECA Digital - Law No. 15211/2025) in Brazil is regulated by Decree 12880/2026, which provides the following (free translation):
"Article 2. For the purposes of this Decree, the following definitions apply:
(...)
IV - age assessment - a general term referring to procedures intended to verify, estimate or infer, directly or indirectly, the age or age range of a user, through a set of methods, technologies and processes, including document analysis, biometrics and usage patterns, and other technically suitable means;
V - age verification - a specific age assessment procedure with a high degree of reliability, as established by the ANPD (National Data Protection Authority), based on verifying the accuracy of the age attribute, in order to prove the accuracy of the declared age or age range, through the use of technical or documentary mechanisms;
VI - age indicator - information or credential indicating the age or age range of a user to suppliers of information technology products or services directed at children and adolescents or likely to be accessed by them, without revealing additional personal data; and
VII - self-declaration of age - a method limited to indicating the age, age range, or other personal data provided by the user themselves, without additional evidence to confirm the veracity or ownership of the information.
Article 15. The supplier of information technology products or services that makes available content, products, or services prohibited for children and adolescents, under the terms of Articles 9 to 15 of Law No. 15,211, of September 17, 2025, must:
I - implement effective age verification mechanisms; and
II - effectively prevent access, enjoyment, or consumption by children and adolescents.
(...)"
Thus, age verification has become a reality in Brazil.
https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2026/Decreto/D12880.htm
Best regards.
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I'm sorry you feel this way. Best wishes.
Just stumbled on this:
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It is not just about social media.
It might/will also effect online-gaming, web-shops (alcohol, tobacco) and AI chatbots
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Google agrees:
As of early 2026, the European Union's contentious "Chat Control" regulation (Child S.e.x.u.a.l Abuse Regulation or CSAR)—which includes potential client-side scanning—has not been finalized and is currently under intense negotiation, with a new deadline extending temporary measures until August 3, 2027
The Parliament has strongly opposed blanket, indiscriminate scanning, preferring a targeted approach that respects privacy and user data security.
Critics, including digital rights groups and some MEPs, argue that "voluntary" scanning, age verification, and mandatory scanning for CSAM could force tech companies to scan private communications, creating backdoor surveillance and destroying encryption security.