On the Windows side of the age verification question, Microsoft is obviously following trends among lawmakers the world over.
To address this, Windows is introducing a new platform capability: the Windows Age API.
This API brings age awareness beyond the operating system by making it available across the entire Windows ecosystem so that apps and services can deliver age-appropriate experiences using the same trusted foundation. By making age awareness available as a platform capability, Windows helps developers build safeguards into experiences from the start rather than placing the burden on children and families to manage protections app by app.
↫ Rob Mauceri at the Windows Blogs
Meanwhile, on the Linux side of things, there’s been some cheering as at least California passed amendments to its age verification law to exempt open source operating systems.
These amendments redefine the term “operating system provider” to exclude any person or entity that distributes an OS or application “under license terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.” Any software distributed under the GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses satisfies that test, which removes the likes of Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch, and the BSD family from AB 1856’s scope.
↫ Luke James at Tom’s Hardware
I think this is not at all the good news that many make it out to be. Exempting Linux, BSD, and other open source operating systems from age verification obligations may seem like a good thing at first glance, but in reality, I think services and applications will simply choose to not work at all on platforms that do not implement age verification. The fear of legal ramifications, especially when it involves children, will be enough for existing and future popular services and applications to exclusively work on platforms that implement age verification – whether those fears are founded or not.
In fact, I’m fairly sure a company like Microsoft, which has actually been feeling the squeeze from the Linux side recently – even if it is modestly so – is quite happy to see open source operating systems excluded from these obligations. Google, too, is probably none too unhappy to see any possible open source mobile operating system competitors not implement age verification. The fear of missing out is real, and most people are not as invested in fighting big tech and government surveillance as the average OSNews reader is going to be. If using Linux means not being able to play the latest hit games or use that new successful service, people will choose to stick with Windows or macOS.
Let me be very clear that I do not support these age verification laws in any way, shape, or form, and I definitely do not want the open source world to embrace age verification. What I’m worried about is that the open source world will cheer on these exceptions and consider the battle won, when in reality, they feel more like Pyrrhic victories. Age verification laws must be fought and destroyed at ballot boxes the world over, because otherwise I fear they will become just another tool in big tech’s toolbox, exemptions or not.
I agree that companies are just going to use it to exclude those that dont provide the API. We see this already with Credit Scores and other societal ystems that you can live without engaging with until you suddenly cant anymore because every one suddenly relies upon them to verify your identity or prove you are of sufficiently good character. And with that said I really dont like the idea of my os having to know my age just so i can browse the web and look up reviews for the hit game Cyberpunk 2077, which is R18 in Ausyralia, but at least if its hardware/device based I have some little modicum of control over it and not just waiting around for the next Equifax hack
Shugo,
Ironically credit scores were a net positive, as they enabled average Joe to actually interact with those who hold the money.
Why would someone lend a “nobody” or rent their house to them? In the past it required personal connections, and much more favoritism and discrimination.
However, “social credit”, a.k.a. China way is an entirely different matter. A state actor collecting info in the background with no recourse and not even a way to learn your actual score or why it dropped is really dystopian.
At least with banks there is always some newcomer that would give benefit of the doubt (like those new robinhoods and such, not that I condone their entire business).
sukru,
I see your point, but I’d argue that the “net positive” aspects are debatable. Banking is one of the institutions by which the wealthy get wealthier over time. Families could actually afford more without bank loans. The reason for this may be counterintuitive, but basically access to easy money makes everyone’s money less valuable. People having access to less money actively helps keep prices low. Goods and services are determined by supply and demand, as usual, but now that the Smiths are paying with the bank’s money, everyone has to compete with bank money and so the Rogers can demand much more money when selling the house. So even though a bank might quadruple the offer a buyer can put on a house, the benefit gets lost when housing prices cost four times as much. At the surface level this might seem to more or less cancel out, however there’s a huge difference between money you put up without a bank versus the money you put up with a bank: interest!
Banks harm our buying power in two ways:
1) Free market prices become significantly higher when banks are involved.
2) We end up paying significantly more in interest.
Going back to the privacy issue, I don’t like the way “credit reports” can be abused by 3rd parties like employers. I was shocked when I discovered an employer pulling my credit report without asking me. I found out how easy it is for them to get credit reports. I find this to be ethically abhorrent, and yet in the US it’s a thing.
https://www.investopedia.com/bad-credit-could-cost-you-your-dream-job-half-of-employers-run-credit-checks-11793650
Alfman,
There is of course nuance in it, and getting a credit report without explicit consent is an offense in many jurisdictions (they just — correctly — assume nobody will actually pursue lawsuits)
That being said, the current credit report system is probably as best as we can get
* We have access to the numbers, real time for free
* We have access to all the metrics used in generating those numbers
* We have the right to explicitly remove wrong information
* There are multiple competing providers, and a lot of online information and “what if” simulators
The prior one, where they had private books nobody could see was definitely worse
The Chinese one where state holds a secret credit score is even worse
And we don’t even need to go to China, we have our own secret government lists like “No Fly” where you cannot even query whether you are on it, nor have any legal way to fix mistakes
(Unless you are a senator: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5765143)
Digital prison getting closer and closer. We can’t even stop using their own 1984 terms (this is not age verification, this is tracking and surveillance) so there is zero hope of stopping the actual thing.
Oh well we’ll just vote harder as always I guess.
Super cool that we’re making predators’ lives easier by conveniently identifying every 10-year-old on the internet.
Brainworm,
I’m not sure they are thinking about secondary effects, or aware of the fact that people will adopt their behavior (nefariously) to the new rules.
(The other alternative is much more terrifying to think about)
Having three children, I am going to have to disagree about age verification. The existing solutions are an absolutely joke – might as well not even exist. We need platform level solutions. Intrusive? Sorry, the mobile carrier has my ID/age/address, and we had to provide that for our children as well. I’ve no idea why iOS and Android can’t just share basic age ranges with apps to gate certain functionality.
On desktop it gets a bit more complicated, and I am almost willing to concede the space because most kids don’t use it, at all. Mobile is the entire content game for kids.
[email protected],
Can I ask what country and provider does this? In the US I’ve only seen carriers get information to pay the bill. But when the bill payer adds separate lines they don’t really check or care who uses them. I’m looking at my kid’s pay as you go plan and they don’t even have their names. The credit card traces back to me of course.. but my kids aren’t identified and frankly I prefer that.
Well, they can, but obviously for it to be effective a third party needs to register/verify people’s ages and the use of DRM to enforce it. People are already wary of DRM in general, but there is the added concern of mission creep. Many of us believe it’s not a matter of if it will be abused, but when. Once the technology is there it’s a short path for politicians to expand on their police state ambitions.
Alfman,
Agreed. In the US, they don’t care who owns the phones, or pays the bills (except when there is an installment plan). One can still even buy a “burner” phone (prepaid) with zero identification.
They have been trying to shoehorn similar technologies into Internet and Mobile devices for decades now. Yes, I too would be on the cautious side.
It’s always surprising when someone consciously and willingly chooses to give up their freedom to the state.
Tell me, which specific features are you personally missing in the parental controls on your children’s phones?