--- title: California proposes exempting open-source Linux... description: California and Colorado are moving to exempt open-source software, including Linux distributions, from their age verification laws. California's AB 1856 would... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/california-proposes-exempting-open-source-linux-distributions-from-its-age-verification-law-e1guih1sg twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: California proposes exempting open-source Linux distributions from its age verification law | daily.dev og:description: California and Colorado are moving to exempt open-source software, including Linux distributions, from their age verification laws. California's AB 1856 would... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/california-proposes-exempting-open-source-linux-distributions-from-its-age-verification-law-e1guih1sg og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/e1GUIh1sG.png og:image:alt: California proposes exempting open-source Linux distributions from its age verification law og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # California proposes exempting open-source Linux distributions from its age verification law **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary California and Colorado are moving to exempt open-source software, including Linux distributions, from their age verification laws. California's AB 1856 would narrow the definition of 'operating system provider' to exclude software under open-source licenses, covering Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, and others. Colorado's SB26-051 has already been signed and goes further, also exempting code repositories, containerized software, and public app repositories, with an anti-tivoization clause. These exemptions came through sustained advocacy, including lobbying by System76 CEO Carl Richell and concerns raised by the EFF. SteamOS remains a notable edge case due to Valve's proprietary Steam client. The broader age verification frameworks remain intact, and the federal HR 8250 (Parents Decide Act) still poses a potential threat to the open-source ecosystem. ## Content ## What happened Both California and Colorado are carving out exemptions for open-source software from their age verification laws — and it took real advocacy to get there. California's AB 1856, proposed by the same lawmaker who wrote the original Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043), would narrow the definition of "operating system provider" to exclude software distributed under licenses that permit copying, redistribution, and modification. That language effectively covers mainstream Linux distributions: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Mint, and others. The bill was ordered to third reading on May 19, 2026, and could go to a vote in June. The original law is set to take effect in early 2027. Colorado's SB26-051 has already been signed. It goes further than California's amendment, also exempting code repository providers, containerized software distributions, and apps distributed through public repositories. It also includes an anti-tivoization clause — meaning you can't just slap an open-source license on something while locking down the hardware it runs on. Neither exemption was in the original bills. Both required sustained community outreach and direct engagement with legislators. ## How it happened System 76 CEO Carl Richell was one of the more visible advocates here. He met with legislators, worked with Red Hat, and coordinated with community members and lobbyists to make the case that open-source software doesn't engage in the data collection, profiling, or addictive design patterns these laws are actually targeting. System 76 confirmed that Pop OS and the COSMIC desktop won't include age verification. The EFF also raised concerns about the original California law, questioning both its privacy implications and whether it was even enforceable against decentralized open-source projects. ## What's still affected Not everything gets a free pass. SteamOS is a notable edge case — even though it's Linux-based, Valve's proprietary Steam client functions as a covered app store, which likely keeps SteamOS within scope of the California law. More broadly, these exemptions don't repeal anything. The underlying age verification frameworks remain intact, and critics have pointed out that normalizing age identification at the OS level — even for commercial platforms — sets a precedent worth watching. The federal HR 8250 (Parents Decide Act) is still out there and represents a larger potential threat to the open-source ecosystem. ## The takeaway For Linux distributions, this is a genuine win. The exemptions recognize something that should have been obvious from the start: open-source software isn't an app store, and treating it like one would have created real privacy and enforcement problems without meaningfully protecting anyone. The fact that it took this much lobbying to get there is its own kind of lesson about why the open-source community needs to stay engaged with legislators before bills become law. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [California’s age verification law applies to Linux, FreeBSD, and FreeDOS too](https://daily.dev/posts/california-s-age-verification-law-applies-to-linux-freebsd-and-freedos-too-s05pz4jbv) · All Things Open · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#privacy](https://daily.dev/tags/privacy) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/california-proposes-exempting-open-source-linux-distributions-from-its-age-verification-law-e1guih1sg) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"California proposes exempting open-source Linux distributions from its age verification law","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/california-proposes-exempting-open-source-linux-distributions-from-its-age-verification-law-e1guih1sg","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/california-proposes-exempting-open-source-linux-distributions-from-its-age-verification-law-e1guih1sg"},"datePublished":"2026-05-25T19:44:38.529Z","dateModified":"2026-05-29T13:27:53.339Z","description":"California and Colorado are moving to exempt open-source software, including Linux distributions, from their age verification laws. 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