Systemd Adds DOB Field: Devs Claim Legal Compliance, Commenters Warn of 'Stupid Mass Surveillance'
The core issue revolves around incorporating a mandatory or easily accessible Date of Birth (DOB) field into fundamental Linux components like systemd's user database, ostensibly to comply with specific US state-level age verification laws.
The community splits sharply on the nature of this change. Some developers argue it is a non-mandatory, local technical hurdle. Counterarguments, voiced by users like 'orca,' brand the move a 'stupid mass surveillance law disguised as a protection.' Others, such as 'Avicenna,' criticize the development process itself, labeling the hurried change as politically suspect. Technical observers noted that the DOB field is not the main flaw; 'andioop' points out the danger is simply adding another highly trackable data vector.
Consensus overwhelmingly rejects the integration, viewing it as an unacceptable erosion of Linux's privacy ethos. The primary fault line remains between viewing this as a minor, structural compliance hook versus seeing it as the opening salvo for universal, mandatory digital identification infrastructure.
Key Points
Adding DOB to core databases undermines Linux privacy tenets.
This is the consensus view, rejecting the requirement regardless of specific state law cited.
The change is framed by proponents as a harmless, technical compliance feature.
Proponents suggest it is non-mandatory and local, while critics argue it's merely a hook point, as suggested by 'Dremor'.
The implementation process lacks proper debate and appears politically motivated.
'Avicenna' cited the hasty application of the change as the primary source of suspicion.
The true threat is not the field, but the creation of a new tracking vector.
'andioop' argued this point, stating the danger lies in the *potential* for tracking, not the data point itself.
The effort to enforce age verification at the OS level is fundamentally flawed.
'BabyTurtles' pointed out that DRM/proprietary software, not the kernel, will control access.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.