Colorado Open Source Exemption Could Save Linux From Age Verification Rules
Colorado almost forced age verification on your Linux laptop. That actually happened.
Lawmakers tried to shove corporate surveillance tech into every computing device, treating Debian like TikTok. Open source projects don’t have compliance departments. They don’t have lawyers on retainer. They would have simply disappeared from Colorado, or more likely, stopped existing entirely. This was legislative malware targeting the wrong software.
How System76 Actually Did Something
Carl Richell, CEO of System76, didn’t just tweet about this. He met with Senator Matt Ball, co-author of SB26-051. Face to face. In person.
That meeting mattered. Lawmakers are working on amendments to exclude open source software:
- Open source operating systems (your Arch, Fedora, Debian installs stay untouched)
- Open source applications
The hardware vendor fought for the ecosystem. Other companies take note. This is what advocacy looks like when your business depends on actual freedom, not marketing buzzwords about it.
What This Mess Was Actually About
SB26-051 requires “age attestation” on computing devices. Think of it as digital ID checks baked into your operating system.
The original language treated all software the same. Your kid’s Chromebook? Sure, verify away. But also: your developer workstation running Gentoo. Your homelab server. The Git repository hosting cryptography tools. All of it caught in the same dragnet.
The bill mandates that “operating system providers” share age signals. Open source has no provider. There’s no CEO of Linux to call. There’s no single entity to fine. The law would have created an impossible compliance burden, would have created major compliance challenges for FOSS distribution.
California Still Needs the Fix
Colorado’s amendment is a blueprint. Senator Ball suggested similar changes for California’s version of this bill.
That has not happened yet. It still threatens open source developers in the nation’s largest tech market. The same exclusion needs to apply there. Every state considering these copy-paste “protect the children” bills needs to understand: you cannot age-gate software without a centralized authority. Open source fundamentally breaks that model. That is the point.
The Real Problem Here
Age verification bills keep popping up because lawmakers do not understand technology architecture. They see “computer” and think “Facebook.” They do not distinguish between a centralized service harvesting data and a decentralized project distributing source code.
This will not be the last time. The next bill will try something else. Maybe “safety audits” for package repositories. Maybe “digital signature requirements” that exclude GPG. The pattern is clear: regulate technology as if it all works like proprietary SaaS, then act surprised when the open internet collapses.
Bottom Line
One hardware vendor saved Linux in Colorado. That should not have been necessary. The exemption protects every distribution you actually use.
But do not get comfortable. California still looms. The legislative template spreads. Watch your state houses. When you see “age verification” language, look for the open source carve-out. If it is missing, that bill is an attack on software freedom, full stop.
Call your representatives. Open source projects lack a central authority to implement such requirements. They need to hear it. Obviously.