California Wants To Exclude Linux and Other Open Source Systems From New Age Checks
California Wants To Exclude Linux and Other Open Source Systems From New Age Checks
Publish Date: 2026-05-27 06:59:00
Source Domain: www.ghacks.net
A proposed change to California’s Digital Age Assurance Act aims to exempt open source operating systems from age verification rules set to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The amendment, published on May 18, 2026, introduces language that excludes any operating system or application distributed under license terms allowing copying, redistribution, and modification from the definition of “operating system provider.”
If approved, Linux distributions, FreeBSD, and other open source operating systems would not be required to implement age verification at installation or first launch.
The amendment is identified as AB 1856, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks in February as an update to the original law (AB 1043), which was signed into law in October 2025.
What the Original Digital Age Assurance Act Requires
The Digital Age Assurance Act mandates that operating system providers, app stores, and application developers verify user ages. Distributors of operating systems are required to offer an accessible interface during account creation for users to input their birth date, age, or both.
The law aims to protect children from cyberbullying, sextortion, and mental health issues. It applies to residents of California and will take effect on January 1, 2027.
The relevant amendment language states that an “operating system provider” does not refer to a person or entity that distributes an operating system or application under license terms allowing the recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.
This wording aligns with common open source licensing terms, such as GPL, MIT, Apache, and BSD licenses. As a result, Linux vendors would not be required to implement age verification at the installation of their distributions under this exemption.
Unresolved Edge Cases for Hybrid and Partially Open Source Systems
The exemption raises questions about hybrid products. Valve ships its proprietary Steam Client on top of Linux-based SteamOS.
It is unclear whether…
