Comment on System76 tries to talk Colorado down over OS age checks
Panthenetrunner@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day agoPeople responding to this are right about their actual intentions, but yeah. I think if you wanted to go about doing this the right way it would be an “I’m an adult” or a “this device is primarily used by a child” checkmark that could be locked down behind an administrative password.
That’s it. That’s all you really need if your intention was actually just makeing sure kids couldn’t wander into a part of the internet not made for them. Everything else, verification, that’s just surveillance bullshit being bolted on top.
Archr@lemmy.world 1 day ago
But that is effectively what this bill does, just rather than a check box it is a date entry. There is no verification requirement. Only indication (attestation).
Panthenetrunner@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Respectfully I disagree. What I’m describing here is a checkmark. It’s a flag that gets turned on presumably by a parent and turned off presumably when the kid comes of age or gets their own computer or whatever. There is no date attached. There’s no personally identifiable information that your operating system is collecting and distributeing without your knowledge. At worst it’d allow people to be sorted into above and below certain ages, that’s it.
I get that what’s being proposed does not require verification (for now, way things are going I don’t necessarily expect that to stick). But even if your assuming good intent on the part of these law makers and corporations I still believe entering a date is too much of an invasion of privacy. If this is something we have to do (which I don’t believe it is but idiots seem to be forcing the issue) then it should be done with the least amout of data possible. That means a yea or nay on a binary checkbox.
Archr@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Just to clarify the law does not allow your os to transmit your dob. Only your age bracket.
Panthenetrunner@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
I’m aware, I just think the bracket is too much information. Besides, laws can be changed and increasingly laws are broken with zero repercussions. What is to stop Microsoft from not “transmitting” the information yet still using it internally for targeted advertising? Honestly the raw date of birth isn’t even needed for that. An age bracket would do fine and as far as I’m aware there are zero restrictions on Microsoft using that.
No, if your actually only interested in protecting kids, I think this is vast overkill. This is a mesure for surveillance and advertising and I think age brackets are more than sufficient for accomplishing that.