Linux Exempted from California Age Verification Law Under New Amendment

California's Digital Age Assurance Act, which is scheduled to take effect at the start of 2027, will introduce sweeping age-verification checks by system providers. Under the original scope of the legislation, operating systems would be required to verify user ages to lock down specific functions. This mandate initially raised significant concern among Linux developers regarding compliance challenges for open-source systems.

However, the passage of Assembly Bill 1856 has amended the legislation to exempt open-source operating systems. The amendment, which passed with a 39-0 vote, excludes any "person or entity that distributes an operating system or application under license terms that permit a recipient to copy, redistribute, and modify the software" from being designated as an "operating system provider." Consequently, standard Linux distributions will avoid these age-verification requirements on a technical definition. The amendment additionally mandates that compliant operating system providers collect only the minimum amount of information necessary to fulfill the law's verification requirements.

While open-source Linux distributions are now exempt, the legal status of Valve's SteamOS under this legislation remains uncertain. Although SteamOS is a Linux-based operating system built on Arch, it contains proprietary elements that prevent users from copying, redistributing, and modifying it. Furthermore, even if SteamOS itself is determined to be exempt, users will still be required to undergo age-verification checks directly through Steam on Steam Deck or Steam Machine platforms to play certain games.

Operating systems that remain fully subject to the law's requirements include Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. The original bill was introduced in February and initially encompassed Linux, prompting worries about the potential impact on the open-source software ecosystem prior to the adoption of the recent amendment.