this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2026
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US state laws push age checks into the operating system (www.theregister.com)
submitted 15 hours ago by floofloof@lemmy.ca to c/privacy@lemmy.world
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[–] snooggums@piefed.world 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

The California law requires everyone to show their age, not just kids.

Forcing companies to respect voluntary parental controls is not even close to demanding everyone to prove their age.

[–] The_Decryptor@aussie.zone 0 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

The California law requires everyone to show their age, not just kids.

No it doesn't, at all. In fact it specifically says it only applies in the case where it's a parent setting up a device for a child.

You can read the actual law, it's short.

(a) (1) “Account holder” means an individual who is at least 18 years of age or a parent or legal guardian of a user who is under 18 years of age in the state.

(2) “Account holder” does not include a parent of an emancipated minor or a parent or legal guardian who is not associated with a user’s device.

(d) “Child” means a natural person who is under 18 years of age.

(i) “User” means a child that is the primary user of the device.

(1) Provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 1 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

(b) “Age bracket data” means nonpersonally identifiable data derived from a user’s birth date or age for the purpose of sharing with developers of applications that indicates the user’s age range, including, at a minimum, the following:

(1) Whether a user is under 13 years of age.

(2) Whether the user is at least 13 years of age and under 16 years of age.

(3) Whether the user is at least 16 years of age and under 18 years of age.

(4) Whether the user is at least 18 years of age.

Number 4 wouldn't be a thing if it didn't apply to everyone.

[–] The_Decryptor@aussie.zone 0 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

If the API can't respond with "is an adult", how should it respond when an adult is using it?

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The API should work like parental controls: Is a kid and age bracket/meets minimum age. Anything else is a NULL or no age value.

If you have to say you are 18 then it applies to everyone.

[–] The_Decryptor@aussie.zone 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Then that is the 18+ age signal. "This user is not covered by age restrictions" implies they're older than 18.

And as the law says...

(4) A developer that receives a signal pursuant to this title shall use that signal to comply with applicable law but shall not do either of the following:
(A) Request more information from an operating system provider or a covered application store than the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with this title.
(B) Share the signal with a third party for a purpose not required by this title.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Parental controls don't apply to anyone not using parental controls.

This applies to everyone.

Do you get how those are two very different things?