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?
Unless the parents decide they want to preserve their privacy of course. What about non-parents? Why do parents get to decide for us?
Thank GOD! FINALLY I’ll get a Chance to give the Epstein Class my CHILDS personal Information!
Another lie at the altar of protecting children. They could give a fucking rip about kids, dimmest timeline ever.
This is stupid to do this at the OS level. Where are the small government conservatives demanding the private market meet this need? (They are liars, fools, and scumbags who don’t sincerely believe what they say)
Hate it, but I honestly think this will pass. Most people won’t even notice as Windows already requires an email, so this will probably just add some sort of take a picture of your face thing. The concerning issue is when this leads websites to be able to request the identity of users. Huge chunks of the internet will basically die for anyone who cares about privacy. Linux users can ignore a lot of this, but linux will remain in the minority on all devices, and when most websites plus government websites start using it to access papers and such things… yeah then even linux users will have to figure out a work around maybe scrapers or something… It’s dystopian.
Ah yes, another bill named after something it doesn’t actually do, for people who can’t actually be bothered or are unable to understand technology in order to restrict their kid(s) access anyway.
- Allow parents to set age-appropriate content controls from the start, including limiting access to social media, apps, and AI platforms.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t most, if not all, OSes have these capabilities already? Parents already don’t use them, what is supposed to make me think they’ll suddenly start using them if only there was another law mandating them?
Well it’s called the “Parents Decide Act” and these things usually have opposite effects from the name, so I’m pretty sure that it’s actually going to end up being a small handful of puritans deciding what’s appropriate for everyone else’s children.
They should just name is “save all the children and you are bad person if you don’t support this” act
Who is this legislation for? Third party “verifier” companies make tons of money, data brokers make tons of money selling info on which users are minors to advertisers and pdf files, fascist government gets “Total Information Awareness”, corrupt government officials make tons of money, … so much winning! so much money to be made!
I would like to remind viewers that image is over 20 years old, and remains relevant (even more today than it ever was).
The Epstein class wants to know who the minors on the internet are.
As a parent, I have zero faith in any system like this. I’m all for more parental controls(like what Gnome 50 just implemented), but I don’t want anything(program, web browser, video game, etc) to be able to query any kind of “age” field on an account on my system.
I don’t want ANYONE to know if my child is using a device. And if that means I have to create an adult account for them, then so be it. I don’t want my child’s information being scraped and imported into some random database that gets leaked or sold to nefarious actors.
Companies would love to know the age of a person using a device
There is a reason why Meta is pushing for age verification. They love children due to the fact that advertisers love to get children hooked early on a product. You should be very careful about who advertises to your child
Parents Decide Act
Looks inside
Government decides
They always name bill the opposite of what the bill does. It’s part of the sales campaign.
“Allow parents to…limit access to apps”
Which “apps”? Who determines which apps need to be age approved? Notepad? Couldn’t you write something horrific and send it with that app? Better let the government take that control for you and dictate to OS creators what your kids and you see. They will of course come for your apps next.
You wouldn’t believe what you can write in base64
cries in age verification pencils and pens
It’s actually super simple. Those NPUs and secure processing extensions are going unused, so just have a government-provided model analyze frames before presenting them on the screen. They can even introduce it in an acronym-named act, “Prevent Explicitly Depicted Objectry”. /s
Friendly reminder that anyone who writes DRM is a traitor to the human race. Find a job that won’t haunt your conscience.
Agreed. Or locked bootloaders for that matter
If it’s required then parents don’t decide shit
