A fork of the system manager systemd has been created, positioned as an alternative that is free from code that could be used to track users. The creator of the fork intends to keep the codebase synchronized with the main branch from the main systemd repository. Currently, the changes are limited to removing recently added code in systemd that adds a birthDate field in the userdb for the user's date of birth, as well as the option "--birth-date" in the homectl utility to set the user's age.
The reason for storing age in userdb is stated as preparing to implement the requirements of laws regarding API integration for age verification in operating systems, which have been adopted in some U.S. states and in Brazil. The added field can be used in the developing portal xdg-desktop-portal for distributions and the AccountsService to provide applications with information about the user's age category via the D-Bus interface "org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1" or "org.freedesktop.ParentalControls."
Additionally, a statement from the GrapheneOS project, which is developing a secure open-source firmware based on Android, can be noted regarding their refusal to comply with age verification laws. It is stated that GrapheneOS will not require users to provide personal information, identification, or account linkage. Services and the platform will be available in all countries without restrictions. If in some countries the lack of age verification makes it impossible to sell devices with GrapheneOS, then that is how it will be.
Forrás: opennet.ru
