my advice is still the same. get a cheaper (used) thinkpad (or brand of your choice) and install Linux or *BSD that doesn't have corporate backing or age/kyc verification nonsense added. always install an ad blocker, script blocker, and dns level filtering just in case for your own safety (also install those on your parents and friends family computers).

say no to microslop and their stupid apps. enough is enough.

@kobold correct there are many linux distros without systemd and then *BSD is free from that systemd nonsense.

IBM/Redhat and Poettering all into this age verification nonsense. Any distro or vendor into that stuff need to to be avoided for your own good.

@nixCraft @kobold Get a grip on reality. It's a field in a JSON. Your name is in passwd. Every program on any Linux or BSD can call getpwnam.

Nobody forces you to set either. There is no enforcement mechanism and no verification, but there are legitimate uses for either, as there are legitimate interests in not setting either.

@lbky @nixCraft @kobold

I don't care if it's optional, it still aims for age verification and I don't want that to even be possible in an OS. All this does is make further surveillance even easier because if most distros become able to support age detection nothing is stopping apps and governments to enforce the use of such field.

@javalsai @nixCraft @kobold Nothing *is* stopping governments and big tech from enforcing age verification except for political activism. What you want is a technological solution for a societal problem. You're simply barking up the wrong tree.

If you don't want apps to read an age field, assuming it is set, you will need sandboxing. If you don't sandbox, apps can simply look at all your other data and deduce your age and more. But if you sandbox, you're still in control of access to this field