How age assurance laws could impact open source developers and infrastructure services
By
hanifbbz
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
Policymakers globally are advancing age assurance laws to protect minors online, with requirements moving down the tech stack to operating systems, devices, and app stores. While driven by valid concerns about youth safety, these proposals risk imposing burdensome requirements on open source software and developer infrastructure services that don't present the same risks to minors as consumer-facing platforms. The article examines how these regulations could impact developers and the broader tech ecosystem.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledPolicymakers around the world are advancing age assurance proposals to protect children and teens online.
These proposals are driven by serious concerns, but without appropriate scoping, they risk imposing burdensome requirements on open source software and developer infrastructure services that do not present the same risks to minors as consumer-facing platforms.
Youth safety requirements are moving down the tech stack to operating systems and app stores—raising new questions for open source developers.
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