Khrys3d ago

The Engineer Who Tried to Put Age Verification Into Linux

https://www.sambent.com/the-engineer-who-tried-to-put-age-verification-into-linux-5/

The lasting damage was knowing it could happen at all: that a single contributor with no stated organizational backing could submit compliance infrastructure for surveillance law directly into the software that boots your computer, get it merged by two Microsoft employees, and have the creator of systemd personally block the removal.

The Engineer Who Tried to Put Age Verification Into Linux

Dylan, useful idiot with commit access, pushed age verification PRs to systemd, Ubuntu & Arch, got 2 Microslop employees to merge it, called it 'hilariously pointless' in the PR itself, then watched Lennart personally block the revert. Unpaid compliance simp.

Sam Bent
Show threadAlbert ARIBAUD ✎3d ago

@Khrys (disclaimer: IANALAIDEPOOTV)

One remark and one comment:

Remark: the title says "tried to", the article says did -- and Poettering blocked a revert.

Comment: in countries where the GDPR applies, the feature appears contrary to article 5 as overbroad, even probably purposeless *per se* ; maybe also contrary to recent European decisions against generalized citizen data collection, too.

Show threadpatpro2d ago

@aaribaud
«in countries where the GDPR applies» <- you got this wrong, GDPR applies everywhere as soon as you are an European Union citizen.

Edit: correction «European citizen» -> «European Union citizen»

@Khrys

Show threadAlbert ARIBAUD ✎
@patpro @Khrys Europe does not include all countries on whole Earth, does it?
Mar 22 at 8:22amWeb
Show threadOsma A 🇫🇮🇺🇦2d ago
GDPR applies to protect the personal data of every EU citizen and every person domiciled in EU, never mind where and by whom that data is processed.
@aaribaud @patpro @Khrys
Show threadAlbert ARIBAUD ✎2d ago
@osma @patpro @Khrys How exactly is this a valid rebuttal of my statement about the (lack of) validity of the birth date field *in countries where the GDPR applies* ?
Show threadOsma A 🇫🇮🇺🇦2d ago
GDPR applies everywhere.
@aaribaud @patpro @Khrys
Show threadAlbert ARIBAUD ✎2d ago
@osma @patpro @Khrys No, GDPR does not apply everywhere.