JdeBP1d ago

A lesson can be learned from timezones in #Unix.

At (almost) first there was the simplistic implementation of the TZ environment variable having something like GMT0BST1 ; then extended to things like GMT0BST1,M3.5.0/01:00:00,M10.5.0/01:00:00 . This was 'good enough' for people who didn't care about time from a few years ago; and who didn't live in a place with multiple timezone jurisdictions; and who didn't travel widely. It got ossified into the Single Unix Specification.

https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/basedefs/V1_chap08.html#tag_08_03

Then came the Olson tz database which encoded the complexities of odd laws and complex histories in loads of differing jurisdictions around the planet.

Of course, the laws on #AgeVerification are already following the latter model.

The simple dæmon + account database age field system that I predicted on 2026-03-01 is the simplistic implementation.

An Olson-level implementation will need to know current location, business/work/school/personal use, & accountholder's parents.

#USLaw

Environment Variables

Show threadJdeBP

Cases in point:

1. Only Colorado bill SB26-051 has exemptions for intra-business apps if being used by employees of the business.

1. Louisiana bill HB977 requires the 'providers' of covered application stores to collect age data, connect minor to parent accounts, and send various notifications from upstream projects to users and their parents. Colorado and Illinois bill HB5511 place the requirements on the 'providers' of operating systems, instead. (Hello, #Debian Developers! You both 'control' a 'covered application store' per LA and 'develop' the operating system software on 'computers' and 'devices' per IL/CO.)

1. Louisiana explicitly requires that store providers maintain information about parent accounts in the accounts database. Colorado and Illinois do not.

1. Only New York bill 2025-S8102 rules out just asking the user for xyr age and trusting it ('user self-reporting of age').

1. Only Colorado has data exemptions for H.E. institutions.

#AgeVerification #USLaw #Unix

Mar 23 at 10:46amWeb