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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Ageless Linux — State Law Tracker</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Ageless Linux: Updates" href="/rss.xml">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
<style>
.map-wrapper { position:relative; max-width:800px; margin:32px auto; }
.map-wrapper svg { width:100%; height:auto; }
.map-wrapper svg .state { fill:var(--bg-highlight); stroke:var(--border); stroke-width:.5; transition:fill .2s; }
.map-wrapper svg .state-law { fill:var(--red); }
.map-wrapper svg .state-blocked { fill:var(--accent); }
.map-wrapper svg .state-bill { fill:var(--blue); }
.map-wrapper svg .state-dead { fill:var(--green); }
.legend { display:flex; gap:24px; justify-content:center; flex-wrap:wrap; margin:20px 0 40px; font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:12px; }
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.tl-date { font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:12px; color:var(--accent); font-weight:600; }
.tl-label { font-size:15px; color:var(--text-bright); font-weight:500; margin-top:2px; }
.tl-detail { font-size:14px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:4px; }
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</style>
</head>
<body>
<nav>
<div class="inner">
<a href="index.html" class="logo">AGELESS<span> LINUX</span></a>
<div class="links">
<a href="index.html">Home</a>
<a href="map.html" class="active">State Laws</a>
<a href="lobbyists.html">Lobbyists</a>
<a href="distros.html">Distros</a>
<a href="fax.html">Fax Rep</a>
<a href="download.html">Download</a>
<a href="hardware.html">Hardware</a>
<a href="citations.html">Citations</a>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
<main>
<div class="page-header">
<div class="container">
<h2>State Law Tracker</h2>
<h1>Laws We Are <em>Violating</em></h1>
<p>
A running inventory of US state laws that require operating system providers
to collect age data from users — plus adjacent laws that close evasion vectors
and so reshape the same compliance landscape — along with Ageless Linux's
status for each. Every entry used to read the same way.
</p>
<p style="margin-top:16px;">
Two of them no longer do. Colorado and California have both adopted exemptions
for software distributed under licenses that let recipients copy, redistribute,
and modify it. California's passed both houses on August 27, 2026 and is
awaiting the Governor's signature. <strong>Illinois enacted the same age-signal
architecture on July 31, 2026 with no exemption at all</strong>, which is
the more instructive fact about where this is going.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<!-- LEGEND -->
<div class="container">
<div class="legend">
<div class="legend-item"><div class="legend-swatch" style="background:var(--red)"></div> Signed Law</div>
<div class="legend-item"><div class="legend-swatch" style="background:var(--accent)"></div> Enjoined / Awaiting Signature</div>
<div class="legend-item"><div class="legend-swatch" style="background:var(--blue)"></div> Active Bill</div>
<div class="legend-item"><div class="legend-swatch" style="background:var(--green)"></div> Withdrawn</div>
<div class="legend-item"><div class="legend-swatch" style="background:var(--bg-highlight)"></div> No Action</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- STATE CARDS -->
<section>
<div class="container">
<h2>Enacted Laws</h2>
<h3>States Where Ageless Linux Is Noncompliant</h3>
<div class="state-grid">
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">California</div>
<div class="state-law">AB 1043 — Digital Age Assurance Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Requires OS providers to collect age at account setup, provide real-time
age bracket API to developers. Self-declaration only — no ID verification.
Signed by Gov. Newsom Oct 13, 2025. Passed 76-0 (Assembly), 38-0 (Senate).
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Effective<br>Jan 1, 2027
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Texas</div>
<div class="state-law">SB 2420 — App Store Accountability Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Requires app stores to verify age using "commercially reasonable methods" — potentially
including government ID. Requires parental consent for minors. Signed May 27, 2025.
Preliminarily enjoined Dec 23, 2025 — but the Fifth Circuit <strong>stayed that
injunction on June 4, 2026, and the law took effect the same day.</strong> Apple and
Google began rolling out Texas age-assurance flows immediately. CCIA (No. 25A1390) and
two teen app users (Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, No. 25A1389) filed emergency
applications at the U.S. Supreme Court on June 15, 2026 to restore the injunction;
Justice Alito ordered Texas to respond by June 22.
<strong>The Supreme Court denied both applications on July 6, 2026</strong> — no
explanation, no noted dissents, and no ruling on the merits. SB 2420 remains in
force. The First Amendment question — whether requiring adults to prove identity to
download constitutionally protected applications survives strict scrutiny — is now
before the Fifth Circuit on the merits.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
In effect Jun 4, 2026<br>SCOTUS pending
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Utah</div>
<div class="state-law">SB 142 — App Store Accountability Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Requires "commercially reasonable" age verification by app stores.
Private right of action — parents and minors can sue for $1,000 per violation.
The only state where individuals (not just the AG) can enforce.
Amended by HB 498 (signed Mar 18, 2026), making Utah the first state to revise its
App Store Accountability Act. <strong>The May 6, 2026 compliance deadline passed and
the law is now in effect</strong> — Apple and Google rolled out age-category signals
and parental-consent flows. CCIA <strong>voluntarily dismissed its suit (~Apr 21,
2026)</strong> after the state reaffirmed that SB 142 creates only a private right of
action, with no government enforcement — undercutting CCIA's pre-enforcement standing.
No injunction issued. Private enforcement phases in toward Dec 31, 2026.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
In effect<br>May 6, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Utah</div>
<div class="state-law">SB 73 — Online Age Verification Amendments</div>
<div class="state-detail">
<strong>Network-layer companion to SB 142.</strong> First US law to explicitly
target VPN circumvention of age verification. Deems a user "located in the state"
for compliance purposes "regardless of whether the individual is using a virtual
private network." Also prohibits covered websites from publishing instructions
on how to use a VPN to bypass age gates — a content-based speech restriction.
Sponsored by Sen. Calvin R. Musselman, signed by Gov. Cox Mar 19, 2026.
Enforced by Utah's Division of Consumer Protection; introduced version set
$1,000/day for failure to provide required notification.
<em>Closes the network-layer escape hatch and increases pressure on sites to
rely on OS-attested age signals — exactly the surface Ageless Linux strips.</em>
EFF and NordVPN call reliable VPN detection "technically impossible."
<strong>Took effect May 6, 2026, but Utah agreed on April 27 to suspend enforcement
of the VPN provisions until Sept 3, 2026</strong> under a litigation standstill after
Aylo (Pornhub's parent) sued in federal court. <strong>That standstill expires within
days of this update</strong> and we have found no reporting of an extension, a
preliminary-injunction ruling, or a settlement. If it lapses without one, Utah becomes
the first US state actively enforcing a VPN-location mandate.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: ADJACENT TARGET</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
In effect May 6, 2026<br>Enforcement → Sep 3
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Louisiana</div>
<div class="state-law">HB 570 — App Store Accountability Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Similar to Texas/Utah model — app store focused, "commercially reasonable" verification.
Requires developers to associate minor accounts with parent accounts.
AG enforcement only, no private right of action. $10,000/violation after 45-day cure.
<strong>HB 977 (signed May 15, 2026) pushed the effective date back a full year to
July 1, 2027</strong> and amended the act to let developers rely on app-store-supplied
age and parental-consent signals, adding a "family account" exception.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Effective<br>Jul 1, 2027
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Alabama</div>
<div class="state-law">HB 161 — App Store Accountability Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
The fourth state to enact an App Store Accountability Act. App-store-focused,
"commercially reasonable" age verification with parental consent for minors,
following the Texas / Utah / Louisiana template. Signed Feb 17, 2026.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Effective<br>Jan 1, 2027
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Colorado</div>
<div class="state-law">SB 26-051 — Age Attestation on Computing Devices</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Near-identical copy of California's AB 1043 — OS-level age collection, real-time API,
self-declaration. The House passed it 40-23 on Apr 30, 2026; <strong>Gov. Polis signed
it June 3, 2026.</strong> Effective July 1, 2028. Unlike AB 1043 as enacted, the text
carries an <strong>open-source exemption</strong> — added in House committee after
lobbying by System76 founder Carl Richell — excluding any provider or developer that
distributes "under license terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and
modify the software <em>without restriction from the provider or developer, including
any technical or contractual restrictions on installing all modified versions</em>,"
plus public code repositories and container images.
<strong>Correction (Aug 30, 2026):</strong> this card previously described the
exemption's reach over copyleft as unsettled. On a closer read of the enacted text
against California's, that was wrong. The trailing clause restricts what the
<em>provider</em> may do, not what the license may condition — it is an
anti-tivoization test, not an anti-copyleft one, and GPL-licensed distributions clear
it comfortably. Colorado's is the better-drafted of the two exemptions: it reaches
repositories and containers, which California's does not, and it denies the carve-out
to a vendor who ships a locked bootloader over free software, which California's
appears to permit.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-green">Ageless Linux: EXEMPT (anti-tivoization test)</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Signed Jun 3, 2026<br>Effective Jul 1, 2028
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Illinois</div>
<div class="state-law">HB 5511 — Children's Social Media Safety Act (Public Act 104-0664)</div>
<div class="state-detail">
<strong>Signed by Gov. Pritzker July 31, 2026.</strong> Reported almost universally
as a social media bill — algorithmic feeds, overnight notification curfews, default
privacy settings for minors — and it is that. It is also a
<strong>full OS-level age assurance mandate</strong>. By January 1, 2028 an
operating system provider must provide an accessible interface at account setup
requiring the account holder to indicate a birth date or age, return to any
requesting operator a signal identifying the user's age <em>category</em> — under 13,
13–15, 16–17, 18 and up — and transmit only the minimum information necessary.
That is AB 1043's architecture, enacted verbatim in a second state.
<strong>It contains no open-source exemption of any kind</strong> — no license test,
no repository carve-out, nothing. Sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and
Sen. Willie Preston. Passed the House 82-27 (Apr 16), the Senate 57-0 (Jun 1), and
House concurrence 113-0 (Jun 1). EFF urged a veto in June; NetChoice urged a veto;
the Governor signed it anyway. Signed nine weeks after California's exemption first
appeared in print and three weeks before California passed it.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Signed Jul 31, 2026<br>Effective Jan 1, 2028
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 style="margin-top:60px;">Passed — Awaiting Signature</h2>
<h3>The Bill That Would Exempt Us</h3>
<div class="state-grid">
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--accent);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">California</div>
<div class="state-law">AB 1856 — Digital Age Assurance Act amendments</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Follow-on bill from AB 1043's own author, Asm. Buffy Wicks. It adds a new
<strong>§ 1798.500(g)(2)</strong>: "'Operating system provider' does not mean a
person or entity that distributes an operating system or application under license
terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software."
The statute names no licenses — GPL, MIT, BSD, Apache, "open source," and "free
software" appear nowhere in it. The test is functional: copy, redistribute, modify.
Earlier versions also <strong>expanded</strong> age-gating to browsers and website
operators; that expansion was <strong>stripped in July 2026</strong>, after which
EFF withdrew its opposition.
<br><br>
Passed the Assembly 68-1 (May 26), the Senate with zero no votes (Aug 26 — the
daily history records 39-0, the roll call 40-0), and Assembly concurrence 69-0
(Aug 27). Sent to Engrossing and Enrolling Aug 27.
<strong>Not signed.</strong> Gov. Newsom has until Sept 30, 2026 to act.
<br><br>
Note the limit of the carve-out: it amends the definition of "operating system
provider" in subdivision (g) only. There is no equivalent exclusion in (e) for
"covered application store" or in (f) for "developer." Contrary to widespread
reporting, it does <em>not</em> cover code repositories or containers — that
language is Colorado's, not California's.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-yellow">Ageless Linux: EXEMPTION PASSED — UNSIGNED</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag" style="background:var(--accent); color:#0c0e13;">ENROLLED</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Passed Aug 27, 2026<br>Sign-by Sep 30, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 style="margin-top:60px;">Active Bills</h2>
<h3>States Working on Becoming Noncompliant</h3>
<div class="state-grid">
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--blue);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">New York</div>
<div class="state-law">S8102A — Age Assurance on Internet-Enabled Devices</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Requires device manufacturers, OS providers, and app stores to conduct
"age assurance" at device activation. Stricter than California — requires
"commercially reasonable" methods that "reasonably prevent against
circumvention," not just self-declaration. $10,000 per violation.
AG Letitia James gets rulemaking and enforcement authority.
Effective one year after signing if passed.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-blue">Ageless Linux: PREEMPTIVELY NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-bill">BILL</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
In Committee<br>2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--blue);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Federal</div>
<div class="state-law">H.R. 8250 — Parents Decide Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
First federal bill to adopt California's OS-level model directly.
Requires every operating system provider to collect a date of birth
from every user at account setup, require parental verification for
users under 18, and expose an API that hands that date of birth to
every app developer. Defines "operating system provider" as
<em>"a person that develops, licenses, or controls the operating
system"</em> — no exemption for open source, non-commercial, or
hobbyist maintainers. The phrase "general purpose computing device"
is undefined and punted to FTC rulemaking. Introduced April 13, 2026
by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) with original cosponsor Rep. Elise
Stefanik (R-NY); Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joined as a second
cosponsor April 22, 2026. Referred to House Energy & Commerce —
no hearing or markup scheduled, no Senate companion. Enforced by the
FTC as an unfair or deceptive act or practice. FTC regulations due
within 180 days of enactment; effective one year after enactment.
The sponsor's press release named "Apple and Google" as the targets;
the statutory text catches every Linux distribution maintainer in
the country.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-blue">Ageless Linux: PREEMPTIVELY NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-bill">BILL</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Introduced<br>Apr 13, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--blue);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Federal</div>
<div class="state-law">KIDS Act (H.R. 7757) + GUARD Act (S.3062)</div>
<div class="state-detail">
The KIDS Act has become the consolidated House children's-online-safety vehicle.
A bipartisan Energy & Commerce deal announced June 24, 2026 folds in KOSA,
COPPA 2.0, Sammy's Law, and <strong>the federal App Store Accountability Act</strong>
(Lee S.1586 / James H.R.3149). <strong>The House passed it 267-117 on June 29, 2026</strong>
under suspension of the rules. It was received in the Senate, read twice, and
<strong>referred to the Senate Commerce Committee on July 13, 2026</strong>, where it
now sits. The GUARD Act (AI companion chatbots) was reported out of the Senate
Judiciary Committee unanimously on Apr 30, 2026 and awaits a Senate floor vote.
The federal app-store mandate is advancing inside KIDS rather than standing alone.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-dim">WATCHING</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-pending">IN SENATE</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Passed House<br>Jun 29, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 style="margin-top:60px;">Withdrawn</h2>
<h3>States That Blinked</h3>
<div class="state-grid">
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--green);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Michigan</div>
<div class="state-law">HB 4429 / SB 284 — Digital Age Assurance Act</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Identical bipartisan bills (Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles; Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint)
based on Digital Childhood Alliance model legislation. Would have required device
manufacturers and operating systems to estimate user age at activation and transmit
a continuous "digital age signal" to apps and websites. Critics — including
the Michigan Fair Elections Institute and University of Michigan privacy
researchers — identified that the bills lacked limits on data use, had no
restrictions on combining data with other personal information, and contained
no data deletion requirements. <strong>Pulled by sponsors April 6, 2026</strong>
after advocacy outreach beginning April 4.
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-green">WITHDRAWN</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag" style="background:var(--green); color:#0c0e13;">DEAD</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Pulled<br>Apr 6, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- INTERNATIONAL -->
<section>
<div class="container">
<h2>International</h2>
<h3>It's Not Just the United States</h3>
<div class="state-grid">
<div class="state-card" style="border-color:var(--red);">
<div>
<div class="state-name">Brazil</div>
<div class="state-law">Lei 15.211 — Estatuto Digital da Criança e do Adolescente (Digital ECA)</div>
<div class="state-detail">
Scope: operating systems, app stores, social media, games, and "any software
likely to be accessed by minors." Explicitly <strong>bans self-declaration</strong>
(Art. 9) — requires "proportional, auditable, and technically secure" age
verification methods. Simultaneously bans "mass, generic, or indiscriminate
surveillance" (Art. 37). The law demands real verification, forbids asking
users their age, and forbids surveillance. The ANPD has not yet issued
implementing regulations defining what methods are acceptable. Penalties up to
10% of Brazilian gross revenue or R$50M (~$9.4M USD) per violation. Foreign
providers must maintain a legal representative in Brazil. Enforced by the ANPD
(Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados).
</div>
<div style="margin-top:12px;">
<span class="badge badge-red">Ageless Linux: NONCOMPLIANT</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="state-status">
<div class="status-tag status-law">LAW</div>
<div style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:11px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
Effective<br>Mar 17, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- TWO MODELS -->
<section>
<div class="container">
<h2>Analysis</h2>
<h3>Two Models, Same Problem</h3>
<p>
These laws follow two distinct models, but both create the same
compliance moat for open-source operating systems
(see Goldman, <a href="citations.html#goldman">"Segregate-and-Suppress"</a>).
</p>
<div class="card">
<h4 style="margin-top:0;">Model A: App Store Accountability (TX, UT, LA)</h4>
<p>
Focuses on <strong>app stores</strong>. Requires "commercially reasonable"
age verification — which could mean government ID checks. Requires parental
consent for minors. Texas was preliminarily enjoined as likely unconstitutional
under the First Amendment, but the Fifth Circuit stayed that injunction, the law
took effect June 4, 2026, and the Supreme Court declined to re-block it on
July 6, 2026 without reaching the merits. Utah is the only state with a private
right of action (individuals can sue, not just the AG).
</p>
<p style="margin-top:8px; color:var(--text-dim); font-size:14px;">
<strong>Linux impact:</strong> Primarily affects app store operators. If
<code>apt</code>, Flathub, or Snap Store are "covered application stores,"
their maintainers have obligations. Individual distro maintainers face
less direct liability, but the definition is broad enough to sweep them in.
</p>
</div>
<div class="card">
<h4 style="margin-top:0;">Model B: OS-Level Age Assurance (CA, CO, IL; MI withdrawn)</h4>
<p>
Focuses on <strong>operating system providers</strong>. Requires age
collection at account setup, real-time API for age signals. California,
Colorado, and Illinois accept self-declaration; the federal Parents Decide Act
(H.R. 8250) adds parental verification for minors. This is the model
that directly targets Linux distributions, because it requires the OS
itself to collect and transmit age data.
</p>
<p style="margin-top:8px; color:var(--text-dim); font-size:14px;">
<strong>Linux impact:</strong> Colorado and California have now carved
free-software distributors out of the definition of "operating system
provider." Illinois, enacting the same architecture eight weeks later, did
not. The model does not exempt Linux; two of the three legislatures that
adopted it chose to, one after direct lobbying by a hardware vendor and one
after a year of public argument. That is a lobbying outcome, not a property
of the statute, and it has to be won again in every jurisdiction.
</p>
</div>
<div class="card red-card">
<h4 style="margin-top:0;">Both Models Share One Feature</h4>
<p>
Apple and Google already comply. The 600+ volunteer Linux distributions
cannot. The compliance cost is zero for trillion-dollar platform companies
and prohibitive for community projects. Both models passed with overwhelming
bipartisan support. Both were supported by the major platform companies.
</p>
<p style="margin-top:8px;">
This is not a coincidence. This is a compliance moat.
</p>
<p style="margin-top:8px; font-size:14px;">
The EFF <a href="citations.html#eff-windfall">calls this pattern</a>
"a windfall for Big Tech and a death sentence for smaller platforms."
</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- TIMELINE -->
<section>
<div class="container">
<h2>Enforcement Timeline</h2>
<h3>When Things Become Illegal</h3>
<div class="timeline">
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Oct 13, 2025</div>
<div class="tl-label">California AB 1043 signed</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Passed 76-0 / 38-0. Effective Jan 1, 2027.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Dec 23, 2025</div>
<div class="tl-label">Texas SB 2420 enjoined</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Federal judge blocks enforcement pending litigation.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Feb 5, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">CCIA sues Utah over SB 142</div>
<div class="tl-detail">First Amendment, parental autonomy, interstate commerce. Motion for preliminary injunction filed.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Feb 17, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Alabama HB 161 signed</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Fourth state to enact an App Store Accountability Act. Effective Jan 1, 2027.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Mar 3, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Colorado SB 26-051 passes Senate 28-7</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Heading to House. Would take effect Jul 1, 2028.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Mar 17, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Brazil Lei 15.211 takes effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">First international OS-level age verification law. Bans self-declaration. Penalties up to ~$9.4M USD.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item dead">
<div class="tl-date" style="color:var(--green);">Apr 6, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Michigan HB 4429 / SB 284 withdrawn</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Digital Age Assurance Act pulled by sponsors after privacy advocates identified critical gaps. First state bills based on this model to be withdrawn.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Apr 13, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Federal H.R. 8250 "Parents Decide Act" introduced</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduce the first federal bill to require OS-level age verification. Scope: every "operating system provider." FTC enforcement as an unfair or deceptive practice. Referred to House Energy & Commerce.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Apr 21, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">CCIA drops its Utah SB 142 suit</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Voluntary dismissal after the state confirms SB 142 has no government enforcement — only a private right of action. The PI motion is never decided; the law stands.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Apr 30, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Colorado House passes SB 26-051 40-23; GUARD Act clears Senate Judiciary</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Colorado's House adopts an open-source exemption. The same week, the federal GUARD Act is reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">May 6, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Utah SB 142 in effect; SB 73 takes effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">First US App Store Accountability Act compliance date passes. SB 73 (the VPN/network-layer law) takes effect the same day, though Utah agrees to pause its enforcement until Sept 3.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">May 15, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Louisiana delays HB 570 to 2027</div>
<div class="tl-detail">HB 977 pushes the effective date back a full year and lets developers rely on app-store age signals.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">May 26, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">California AB 1856 passes Assembly 68-1</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Adds an open-source exemption to AB 1043 while also expanding age-gating to browsers and website operators. EFF: "one step forward, two steps back." To the Senate.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Jun 3, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Colorado SB 26-051 signed</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Gov. Polis signs the second US OS-level age law — with an open-source exemption. Effective Jul 1, 2028.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Jun 4, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Texas SB 2420 takes effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">The Fifth Circuit stays the December injunction; the App Store Accountability Act goes live. Apple and Google begin Texas age-assurance flows.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item past">
<div class="tl-date">Jun 15, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">CCIA and teen users ask SCOTUS to re-block Texas</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Emergency applications (Nos. 25A1389 / 25A1390). Justice Alito orders Texas to respond by June 22. First Supreme Court test of an app-store age mandate since FSC v. Paxton.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Jun 29, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">KIDS Act (H.R. 7757) passes the House 267-117</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Consolidated KOSA + COPPA 2.0 + App Store Accountability Act package clears under suspension of the rules. Referred to Senate Commerce July 13, 2026.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Jul 6, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">SCOTUS declines to re-block Texas SB 2420</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Both emergency applications denied without explanation and without noted dissent. No merits ruling. The law stays in force; the First Amendment challenge proceeds in the Fifth Circuit.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">~Jul 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Browser and website expansion stripped from AB 1856</div>
<div class="tl-detail">The provisions extending age-gating beyond operating systems and app stores are removed. EFF withdraws its opposition, while maintaining that the underlying regime still threatens anonymity, privacy, and security.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date" style="color:var(--red);">Jul 31, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Illinois HB 5511 signed — Public Act 104-0664</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Gov. Pritzker signs the third US OS-level age assurance law, with <strong>no open-source exemption</strong>. Same four age brackets, same account-setup interface, same real-time signal. Compliance date Jan 1, 2028. Covered by national press as a social media bill.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date" style="color:var(--green);">Aug 26–27, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">California AB 1856 passes both houses</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Senate passes with zero no votes Aug 26; Assembly concurs 69-0 Aug 27. Adds § 1798.500(g)(2), excluding anyone distributing under license terms permitting a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify. To Engrossing and Enrolling.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Sep 3, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Utah SB 73 enforcement standstill ends</div>
<div class="tl-detail">The VPN provisions become enforceable unless the Aylo litigation extends the pause.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date" style="color:var(--accent);">Sep 30, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Deadline for Gov. Newsom to sign or veto AB 1856</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Until he acts, § 1798.500(g) is unamended and every Linux distribution maintainer remains an operating system provider in California.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Dec 31, 2026</div>
<div class="tl-label">Utah enforcement begins</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Private right of action active. Individuals can sue.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Jan 1, 2027</div>
<div class="tl-label">California AB 1043 + Alabama HB 161 take effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Ageless Linux becomes officially noncompliant. We begin distributing devices.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Jul 1, 2027</div>
<div class="tl-label">California retrofit deadline; Louisiana HB 570 takes effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Existing California devices must have an age collection interface added. Louisiana's delayed App Store Accountability Act goes live.</div>
</div>
<div class="tl-item">
<div class="tl-date">Jul 1, 2028</div>
<div class="tl-label">Colorado SB 26-051 takes effect</div>
<div class="tl-detail">Second state with OS-level requirements — subject to its open-source exemption.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card" style="margin-top:32px; text-align:center;">
<p style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:14px; color:var(--text-dim);">
Ageless Linux compliance status across all jurisdictions, all dates:
</p>
<p style="font-family:'Playfair Display',serif; font-size:36px; font-weight:900; color:var(--red); margin-top:12px;">
NONCOMPLIANT
</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- PENALTY COMPARISON -->
<section>
<div class="container">
<h2>Penalty Comparison</h2>
<h3>Cost of Giving a Child a Computer</h3>
<div class="penalty-compare">
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">$7,500</div>
<div class="penalty-label">California / Colorado</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per child, intentional</div>
</div>
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">$10,000</div>
<div class="penalty-label">Louisiana</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per violation, after cure</div>
</div>
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">$10,000</div>
<div class="penalty-label">Texas</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per violation (DTPA)</div>
</div>
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">$10,000</div>
<div class="penalty-label">New York</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per violation (if passed)</div>
</div>
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">$1,000</div>
<div class="penalty-label">Utah</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per violation + attorney fees<br><strong style="color:var(--red);">Private right of action</strong></div>
</div>
<div class="penalty-box">
<div class="penalty-amount">~$9.4M</div>
<div class="penalty-label">Brazil</div>
<div style="font-size:12px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">per violation or 10% of Brazilian revenue<br><strong style="color:var(--red);">R$50M cap</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card" style="margin-top:16px;">
<p style="text-align:center; font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; font-size:14px;">
Cost of one Ageless Linux device: <strong style="color:var(--green);">$12-18</strong><br>
Maximum combined US penalty for one device given to one child:
<strong style="color:var(--red);">$46,000</strong>
</p>
<p style="text-align:center; font-size:14px; color:var(--text-dim); margin-top:8px;">
US penalty-to-cost ratio: <strong style="color:var(--text-bright);">3,067:1</strong><br>
Brazil penalty for one violation: <strong style="color:var(--text-bright);">up to 522,222:1</strong>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</main>
<footer>
<div class="container">
<p style="font-family:'IBM Plex Mono',monospace; color:var(--accent); font-size:14px; font-weight:600;">AGELESS LINUX</p>
<p style="margin-top:4px;">Software for humans of indeterminate age.</p>
<div class="legal-footer">
<a href="https://agelesslinux.org">agelesslinux.org</a> ·
<a href="https://ffwf.net/contact">Contact: John McCardle / FFwF Robotics LLC</a> ·
<a href="support.html">Support</a>
<br>
Last updated: June 27, 2026 · SPDX-License-Identifier: Unlicense
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