New US Congress bill proposal requires all operating system providers to verify ages
www.gamingonlinux.com
We've covered here before on individual US states setting up their own age verification laws, and now a new US Congress bill has been proposed for it.

This appears to be part of the “Parents Decide Act” announced earlier in April by Gottheimer, as just one step in the process. So expect a lot more to come. Some bullet point plans from it:

- Require operating system developers like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages when setting up a new device, rather than relying on self-reported ages.
- Allow parents to set age-appropriate content controls from the start, including limiting access to social media, apps, and AI platforms.
- Ensure that age and parental settings securely flow to apps and AI platforms, so content is tailored appropriately for children.
- Prevent children from accessing harmful or explicit content - including inappropriate AI chatbot interactions - by creating a consistent, trusted standard across platforms.

Currently, the bill is only in the introductory stage so it hasn’t yet passed and become law, so if this is important to you in the US you may want to speak to your representatives.

Source [web-archive]

I am sorry, but isn’t it 99% not about “children protection” but general surveillance for everyone wrapped up in a “pretty” package that plays, again, on fears as the parenting and unforeseen future backed up with the “time-saving” features for those who are in a hurry within the same system?

    • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.worldEnglish
      15·
      13 hours ago

      Everyone knows this, including those who wrote and will vote for the bill. They don’t care if kids circumvent it, as protecting kids is not what the bill is about. No government gives a fuck about kids, beyond the number on the population chart.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      12 hours ago

      The problem is that modern platforms outside of Windows aren’t hackable. Chromebooks are easy to lock down and predatory companies like Goguardian sell dysopian surveillance tech in the name of child safety. Children are being put under 1984 like surveillance as they aren’t old enough to protect themselves.