You guys fell for clickbait

https://lemmy.zip/post/61219686

source? i mean you went through the effort to post a meme about it at least include the relevant information

The source is the source: github.com/…/acb6624fa19ddd68f9433fb0838db119fe18…

Takes a birth date for the user in ISO 8601 calendar date format. The earliest representable year is 1900. If an empty string is passed the birth date is reset to unset.

That’s it. That’s all it does.

Whatever was discussed in the PR, the code does precisely nothing to implement any kind of verification. It’s just an optional birth date field, like tons of electronics have had forever.

userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records (#40954) · systemd/systemd@acb6624

Add an optional field that can be used to store a user's birth date. userdb already stores personal metadata (`emailAddress`, `realName`, `location`) so `birthDate` is a natural fit.

GitHub

So they’re introducing a system where a users age can be verified?

Hmm, if only there was a name for that.

Stores the user’s birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws\

in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc.

https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954

Guess

userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #40954 · systemd/systemd

Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc. The xdg-desktop-portal project is addi...

GitHub

So they’re introducing a system where a users age can be verified?

No. They are not.

It is an optional field that does no semblance of checking its veracity. Again, like basically every bit of electronics has had forever.

It is literally for the act of verifying a users age.

Being the verifier instead of the requester doesn’t make it not age verification. It’s part and parcel.

I just don’t see how it’s any different than my Sony PSP having an optional birthday field. Or oldschool forums having one. It can’t possibly affect me, or anyone who’s concerned about it.

If systemd starts talking about bundling face scanners or whatever they actually need to verify someone’s age, and then tons of linux systems start requiring it, then I will be gravely concerned.

it’s optional now but can be mandatory later? It literally takes a baby monkey’s brain to understand that.

Also this is literally in the PR:

Stores the user’s birth date for AGE VERIFICATION, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc.

userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #40954 · systemd/systemd

Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc. The xdg-desktop-portal project is addi...

GitHub