For those interested on the question of age verification and GNU/Linux: be aware that Systemd v261-rc1 was recently released. It now implements an optional birth date field in the JSON user database (see second item under “Other changes”).
The implementation of this field was prompted by age-verification or -attestation laws.
Just don’t go to Debian
next day edit: Some of you have never been trolled before, and it shows.
You see, the real_name field has been part of the GECOS field since the 70s. Anyone who has any actual experience with Linux knows this.
There is some bit of drama about adding birth_date to systemd. The person that I’m responding to appears to subscribe to this drama due to the fact that they’re recommending distros who either don’t use systemd or, even more stupid, ‘fork’ the project to remove that field.
So, I made a meme from the point of view of one of these people, expressing outrage that Debian is asking for a user’s Real Name… when only a newbie doesn’t know these things.
And lest you think I’m doing the “I was caught being dumb so I’m claiming to be trolling” here’s a comment of mine from over a month ago making this exact same joke, but more explicitly.
Congrats to the 3 people who got the joke.
I don’t get it.
Debian daring to suggest that using your real name to identify yourself on the system is a reasonable choice for most people. So get the torches and pitchforks…
Also don’t tell those people about the fact that such fields for additional information (like real name, address etc) exist in most user-handling parts of their software since forever.
You get asked for your real name when creating a new user for longer than Linux even exists. It’s just that noone actually cares. But now that’s suddenly an horrific anti privacy policy because the narrative demand that it is.
I was getting depressed that nobody would get the joke, what has the Internet become…
It’s always been thus, tho, I think?
Seems like our times are troubled enough that identity is become a powderkeg issue, which I can understand.
But I don’t think Debian is forcing us to inscribe our legal names here.
The most reasonable choice now may not be the same forever. The optional indentifying fields themselves may have not have changed on Linux over the years but external changes in soceity has prompted this conversation.
With nefarious “child safety” laws popping up the introduction of an optional age field is tone-deaf and suspect. There are other objections to SystemD but this personally pushed me over the edge to finally try out another Linux distro (from Mint).
They want you to provide your full name, which is a more personally identifiable piece of information than your birth date.
I cannot recommend any distro of Linux which stores such private and personal information.
The use Haiku, no personal information needed
But the field can contain anything at all, so if anonymity is the goal, you can still have that.
This dialog isn’t asking for a legal name, it’s just suggesting using your real name because that’s a pretty normal thing.
deleted by creator
I hate to break it to you, but pretty much every distro does this, except maybe a manual chroot install like arch
I have literally in the thousands of installations I’ve done, literally never once put any genuine information in there. Who does? Why would anyone? Every tech through the ages has asked for your name as a matter of convenience and formality. I don’t know if I have ever put my actual info into any such field in the 40+ years - jeez close to 45 now, that I’ve been using computer tech.
Private user ? Probably nobody, I agree. Commercial users ? Probably everyone, it is somewhat mandated.
(That’s the joke) - 1mo ago
Why the fuck are they telling you what to do? Computers are servants, not masters.