Eric Schultz1d ago

A small set of people are merging changes to various Linux components to make sure every application knows your birth date.

This is being done rapidly by people with questionable justifications and being merged with no youth and few marginalized people involved.

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/accountsservice/accountsservice/-/merge_requests/176#0b07c0cc4d49be119f65cdb2037440f56eed647a

user: Add BirthDate with polkit-gated GetBirthDate and SetBirthDate methods (!176) · Merge requests · accountsservice / accountsservice · GitLab

Summary Add a BirthDate field to the user account interface. For non-homed users, the value is stored...

GitLab
Show threadArtemysia1d ago
@wwahammy why the fuck are people complying in advance? Where is the commitment to software freedom?
Show threadJustin Fitzsimmons1d ago

@artemis @wwahammy this isn't complying in advance, it's complying with the law. Which passed unanimously through the California assembly and senate and was signed into law by Gavin Newsom in 2025. It's not going to be repealed.

Open source projects do not have the type of budget that allows them to merely ignore the law and shrug off fines and legal fees.

Show threadArtemysia1d ago
@smn @wwahammy I don't understand how California gets to mandate this. People can download software from wherever they want. Host your project outside of California.
Show threadShadSterling1d ago
@artemis @smn @wwahammy a few have updated their licenses to exclude uses in jurisdictions with those requirements. Not sure what California could do if they caught you using an OS not licensed to use in CA, but while they might be able to punish the user they can’t touch the provider
Show threadEric Schultz1d ago

@ShadSterling @artemis @smn while understandable, that's not a good solution. I don't think we should trade one freedom away for another.

The whole thing needs to be stopped. Period. No compromise, no surrender.

Show threadArtemysia
@wwahammy @ShadSterling @smn we are rapidly getting to a point (some would argue past a point) where resistance, for us white folks who've had little skin in the game, is going to mean real consequences and confronting the fact that the law is an ass.
Mar 21 at 2:57amWeb
Show threadHeyla1d ago
@artemis @wwahammy @ShadSterling @smn the "good time" of white europeans is finish 🤷‍♀️