userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #40954 · systemd/systemd
github.com
Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc. The xdg-desktop-portal project is addi...

Fork time? Maybe all the anti-systemd zealots were right all along…

Edit: To address whether it is likely that this change will affect users: Gnome is planning a stronger dependence on userdb, the part of systemd where this change is being implemented. https://blogs.gnome.org/adrianvovk/2025/06/10/gnome-systemd-dependencies/

Final Edit: The PR has been merged into main.

  • jokeyrhyme@lemmy.mlEnglish
    12·
    21 hours ago

    this new anti-systemd sentiment reminds me of anti-TPM and anti-SecureBoot sentiment

    having TPMs and SecureBoot on Linux machines has only ever empowered device owners to ensure that the software on their devices has not been tampered with

    there’s never been a case where these technologies were used against Linux device owners

    likewise, I predict that Linux device owners may find the age field useful for certain opt-in parental controls, but we’ll otherwise look back on this and shrug at the extreme paranoia

    • Soot [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      1·
      11 hours ago

      Is this comment a joke? That or you’re very naive about the problems these things did cause.

      As someone who deals on rare occasion with Linux PCs, both TPMs and Secure Boot have been a fucking PITA that have done nothing but help solidify the Microsoft/Apple/Google grip.