Linux devs are fighting the new age-gated internet
Linux devs are fighting the new age-gated internet
https://www.theverge.com/tech/930573/age-verification-bills-linux-open-source
Publish Date: 2026-05-14 14:58:00
Source Domain: www.theverge.com
In January, Colorado lawmakers introduced a proposal to make operating systems collect users’ ages and pass them to app developers. The bill, SB26-051, had clearly been designed for commercial platforms like iOS and Android — one of numerous plans to age-gate the internet through users’ devices. It was intended to provide information that would let developers disable age-inappropriate experiences for kids. But as it made the rounds online, Linux laptop maker Carl Richell read the proposal with dismay.
Carl Richell is the founder and CEO of Dever-based System76, which also develops the Pop!_OS Linux distribution. The law, he realized, would likely apply to his own small business. Without the resources of a company like Apple and Google, complying with Colorado’s bill would be a major logistical headache. More broadly, Richell believed it would betray the principles of open source and limit its potential. Open source is “the best way to learn computing,” he told The Verge. “There is nothing like learning from example, and the Linux desktop is a free, open-source example of how to build an entire operating system.” A system that can restrict how children use it — by blocking their ability to interact with certain apps or denying them root access, both possible outcomes of an age-gating system — “breaks that.”
Richell began working with state lawmakers. He spent weeks pushing for changes and sharing updates online. On April 23rd, he appeared before a Colorado House of Representatives committee meeting to make his case. “Everyone should have access to the ability to create with a computer,” Richell testified. “Open-source software makes that possible. It ensures that everyone, regardless of age or background, can learn, experiment, and build at the most fundamental level.” In its original form, the bill, he warned, “unintentionally swept that world into its scope.”
“We have created a template that I hope other legislatures adopt.”
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