On Sun, Mar 1, 2026 at 4:43 PM Jim Hall via Freedos-devel < [email protected]> wrote:
> Some of you may have heard about this: > > Yep, saw it on various Tech sites > California recently passed "AB-1043 Age verification signals: software > applications and online services" that is basically a "protect the > children" law. Here's a link to the full text: > > https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 > > I think it's dumb and overly broad, but we should talk about it. My > thoughts are at the end. > > I think a fair summary is: > > 1798.500 defines terms, including: > > :: (c) “Application” means a software application that may be run or > :: directed by a user on a computer, a mobile device, or any other general > :: purpose computing device that can access a covered application store or > :: download an application. > > :: (f) “Developer” means a person that owns, maintains, or controls > :: an application. > :: > :: (g) “Operating system provider” means a person or entity that > :: develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a > :: computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device. > > And: > > :: 1798.501 (a) An operating system provider shall do all of the following: > :: > :: (1) Provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an > :: account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of > :: that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s > :: age bracket to applications available in a covered application store. > :: > :: (2) Provide a developer who has requested a signal with respect to > :: a particular user with a digital signal via a reasonably consistent > :: real-time application programming interface that identifies, at > :: a minimum, which of the following categories pertains to the user: > :: > [they list age brackets] > :: > :: (3) Send only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with > :: this title and shall not share the digital signal information with a > :: third party for a purpose not required by this title. > > 1798.501 (b) has requirements for developers, and also mentions an > "application store." > > And: > ... > 1798.503 sets penalties for violations. > ... > :: 1798.505. This title shall become operative on January 1, 2027. > ... > > My thoughts: > ... > not how the law was written. As I said, I think it's dumb and overly > broad. > ... > If this law is not amended before the end of the year, I suspect we'll > have a notice on the FreeDOS website in January that says something > like "Do not use if you live in California." > > My thoughts. It is a poorly written piece of legislation that does nothing for what it claims to accomplish. However, there is no exception for DOS or other Operating Systems on general-purpose computers. DOS systems generally do not create accounts, and the law requires age bracketing at account creation. Therefore, for FreeDOS, we must ensure that when a user creates an account, they have the opportunity to provide their age bracket. This information should later be available to all programs requesting it via a DOS-compatible API or other "signal." To comply, the user must supply their age bracket through a prompt mechanism during account setup (or we can proactively request it at any time before). This information will then be stored in a DOS configuration file and made available for signaling purposes through standard DOS APIs for any program that needs such information. Since there is no requirement to validate* and DOS provides no means, we rely on the person performing the installation to provide accurate information. I'm not certain yet about a few pieces: the specific program or logic to request the age bracket nor the exact name of the stored item. However, once determined, the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS will be updated with a line such as SET USER_AGE_BRACKET=/age bracket/. Any DOS program can then obtain the signal by checking its environment using the standard DOS get environment variable API to see the user's set age bracket. Anyone outside of California, Colorado, or another location with poorly written law needs to keep this line or move to an appropriate location for their setup, everyone else can either skip adding it or remove it later. Since only a signal is required, the absence of this environment variable signals the ADULT bracket (18+). Any person installing DOS for other age brackets using the appropriate DOS-compatible mechanism will need to tell the OS the age bracket to signal (i.e., add to CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT a line SET USER_AGE_BRACKET=/the appropriate bracket value/). >From my entirely non-legal advice view point, this complies with the law: once an account is created [or earlier] the OS (DOS) signals to applications via the environment variable USER_AGE_BRACKET being undefined for adults or defined with the appropriate child age bracket set. I also think we need to add a disclaimer stating that the software is not legally available for use in California or Colorado, as we technically never create an account and therefore can never comply with the request to verify the appropriate age bracket at account creation. * DOS has no means to verify the user's claimed age; however, if we detect they are younger than indicated, we would be liable if we failed to correct the situation. Therefore, should a user detect this signal is incorrect, they must notify the OS using the standard DOS mechanism to update such information. I.e., SET USER_AGE_BRACKET=/the correct value/ Once documented, the lack of the environment variable USER_AGE_BRACKET should signal to any application needing that information that the user has claimed to the OS they are in the ADULT age bracket. Since the only way for DOS to detect this information as incorrect is through user intervention, the user must properly notify the OS (via the aforementioned SET action) if the information is incorrect. Jeremy
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