#Tag · BT Free Social

SILENCE IS DEAFENING

"While the [age verification] bill moved through the legislature, the OSI, FSF, Software Freedom Conservancy, and Linux Foundation all sat it out — no testimony, no public analysis, no formal opposition on the record."

Are the adults listening?

California's computer age verification law is poison. The new California age verification law is a version of INGSOC's telescreen watching you. And the usual self-proclaimed software freedom fighters are AWOL as this attack on your freedom is executed.

Don't listen to apologists who claim this isn't a big deal. It is a huge deal. This law is not about protecting children. The California law is a ruse for laying the foundation and precedent for mandatory remote control of all operating systems. They are using children as a shield for their true intentions. It's called a 'subterfuge' or a 'pretext' to hide the real rationale. And in politics subterfuge is very common. These politicians don't care about your children. They care about control and information is control. Compliance with California's new law is highly corrosive to free software and deadly to personal privacy.

With the mandatory age verification API in place, legislators can later add more laws mandating retrieval of even more privacy-invasive information just to install and use any operating system. This is Big Brother's telescreen in your living room. And the Linux community is nearly silent on the matter, instead focused on artificial intelligence investment.

Where were the software freedom organizations when California was mandating installation of #spyware in all free and open source operating systems? Did they oppose it? Or did they support it by silence? The California age verification law is the greatest threat to software freedom in recent history., striking right at the root of software installation for all users. Yet (((crickets))).

Is silence really tacit support?

"While the [age verification] bill moved through the legislature, the OSI, FSF, Software Freedom Conservancy, and Linux Foundation all sat it out — no testimony, no public analysis, no formal opposition on the record."

[https://boingboing.net/2026/03/02/californias-age-verification-law-could-regulate-every-linux-command.html]

Where were they when this mandatory spyware infrastructure was being shoved down our throats? Where were the self-proclaimed software freedom fighters? Where were the calls to action? I didn't see any.

Is silence golden ... or is gold buying silence?

Let these organizations know that you oppose California's age verification spyware law and that you expect them to rally in defense of true software freedom--freedom from government oversight of your software systems. Parents--and not the spyware state--should protect their children. The government is neither your parent nor your god nor your savior and the people should send a clear message stating that.

California, stay out of my operating system! And stay the hell away from children!

@eff@mastodon.social
@linuxfoundation@social.lfx.dev
@fsf@hostux.social
@osi@opensource.org
@conservancy@sfconservancy.org

#AgeVerification #Linux #EFF #OSI #LinuxFoundation #FSF #Privacy #Cybersecurity #Surveillance #Spyware #OpenSource #OperatingSystems #FreeSoftware #SoftwareFreedom #Panopticon #BigBrother #Government

CC: @laffer1@bsd.network @leo@twit.social @MichaelRoss@social.linux.pizza @rms@mastodon.xyz @thenewoil@mastodon.thenewoil.org @TechDesk@flipboard.social @remixtures@tldr.nettime.org

A crowd of sillouettes of people stands in front of a giant telescreen depicting a single giant eye watching them.

Witchzilla boosted

Privacy Guides

@privacyguides@mastodon.neat.computer · 2 days ago

RE: https://mastodon.social/@effaustin/116132076492780407

📅 Save the date! Nate Bartram and Jonah Aragon will be in Austin, TX on March 13 to host a live, in-person episode of 🔴 This Week in Privacy; then attend EFF-Austin's party at The Butterfly Bar/Vortex!!

If you're in town, come say hi to @nateb and @jonah, and find out more about privacy from all the excellent guest speakers 💛

#Austin #EFFAustin #Party #AustinTX #EFF #Privacy #PrivacyGuides #Events

EFF-Austin

@effaustin@mastodon.social · last week

Our party is a little over two weeks away! Join us! Tell your friends! https://www.meetup.com/eff-austin/events/313440939/

Privacy Guides

@privacyguides@mastodon.neat.computer · 2 days ago

RE: https://mastodon.social/@effaustin/116132076492780407

If you're in town, come say hi to @nateb and @jonah, and find out more about privacy from all the excellent guest speakers 💛

#Austin #EFFAustin #Party #AustinTX #EFF #Privacy #PrivacyGuides #Events

EFF-Austin

@effaustin@mastodon.social · last week

Our party is a little over two weeks away! Join us! Tell your friends! https://www.meetup.com/eff-austin/events/313440939/

Roknrol boosted

James House-Lantto (He/Him)

@Theeo123@mastodon.social · last month

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/introducing-encrypt-it-already

the EFF is now launching "Encrypt It Already" a push to try and get companies to invest in stronger privacy protections for Data & communications

You can find out more at the announcement/article above, and the official website here: https://encryptitalready.org/

#EFF #Privacy #Security #Encryption #E2EE

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Introducing Encrypt It Already

Today, we’re launching Encrypt It Already, our push to get companies to offer stronger privacy protections to our data and communications by implementing end-to-end encryption. If that name sounds a little familiar, it’s because this is a spiritual successor to our 2019 campaign, Fix It Already, a...

Pen boosted

Digital Freedom Foundation

@dff@fosstodon.org · 3 days ago

2/2 See the #EFF site for more on the dangers of age verification: https://www.eff.org/issues/age-verification If you're in an area proposing age verification laws for your operating systems, contact your legislators if you oppose this. Help keep Free Operating systems freely available throughout the world.

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Age Verification and Age Gating: Resource Hub

Age verification (or age-gating) laws generally require online services to check, estimate, or verify all users’ ages—often through invasive tools like ID checks, biometric scans, or other dubious “age estimation” methods—before granting them access to certain online content or services. Governments in the U.S. and around the world are increasingly adopting these restrictive measures in the name of protecting children online. But in practice, these systems create dangerous new forms of surveillance, censorship, and exclusion. Technologically, the age verification process can take many forms: collection and analysis of government ID, biometric scans, algorithmic or AI-based behavioral or user monitoring, digital ID, the list goes on. But no matter the method, every system demands users hand over sensitive and immutable personal information that links their offline identity to their online activity. Once that valuable data is collected, it can easily be leaked, hacked, or misused. (Indeed, we’ve already seen several breaches of age verification providers.) EFF has long warned against age-gating the internet. Age verification technology itself is often inaccurate and privacy-invasive. These restrictive mandates strike at the foundation of the free and open internet. They are tools of censorship, used to block people from viewing or sharing information that the government deems “harmful” or “offensive.” And they create surveillance systems that critically undermine online privacy, chill access to vital online communities and resources, and burden the expressive rights of adults and young people alike. EFF.org/Age: A Resource to Empower Users Age-gating mandates are reshaping the internet in ways that are invasive, dangerous, and deeply unnecessary. But users are not powerless! We can challenge these laws, protect our digital rights, and build a safer digital world for all internet users, no matter their ages. This resource hub is here to help—so explore, share, and join us in the fight for a better internet.

Digital Freedom Foundation

@dff@fosstodon.org · 3 days ago

1/2 California enacted Digital Age Verification Law AB-1043. Colorado may soon follow suit as may other countries and other US states. Some Free operating systems (from #MidnightBSD to a Free calculator OS) are responding by excluding usage of those operating systems in locations with digital age verification laws. It's a very valid strategy that attempts to protect the developers of these systems who often volunteer their efforts to support #FreeSoftware

Digital Freedom Foundation

@dff@fosstodon.org · 3 days ago

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Age Verification and Age Gating: Resource Hub

Kevin Russell boosted

James House-Lantto (He/Him)

@Theeo123@mastodon.social · 5 days ago

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/victory-tenth-circuit-finds-fourth-amendment-doesnt-support-broad-search-0

A federal appeals court ruled that police can’t use overly broad search warrants to scrape everything on someone’s phone or digital accounts after a protest — like texts, photos, location history, or social media.

The court said those warrants were too vague and violated basic Fourth Amendment privacy protections.

#privacy #digitalrights #EFF #civilrights #surveillance

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Victory! Tenth Circuit Finds Fourth Amendment Doesn’t Support Broad Search of Protesters’ Devices and Digital Data

In a big win for protesters’ rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit overturned a lower court’s dismissal of a challenge to sweeping warrants to search a protester’s devices and digital data and a nonprofit’s social media data.The case, Armendariz v. City of Colorado Springs, arose...

James House-Lantto (He/Him)

@Theeo123@mastodon.social · 5 days ago

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/victory-tenth-circuit-finds-fourth-amendment-doesnt-support-broad-search-0

The court said those warrants were too vague and violated basic Fourth Amendment privacy protections.

#privacy #digitalrights #EFF #civilrights #surveillance

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Victory! Tenth Circuit Finds Fourth Amendment Doesn’t Support Broad Search of Protesters’ Devices and Digital Data

your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦 boosted

Maggie Pie

@magpieluvseeds@mastodon.social · 7 days ago

Proud of myself exercising my #RightToPrivacy today by opting out of face scan technology at #TSA. I admit I was anxious going in, but it was such a non issue. The agent just nodded, took my ID, looked at my face with their eyes and through I went.
1/2

#surveillance #eff #PrivacyRights

Maggie Pie

@magpieluvseeds@mastodon.social · 7 days ago

#surveillance #eff #PrivacyRights