California Exempts Linux and Open-Source Software From Age-Verification Law
California's legislature unanimously passed AB 1856, exempting open-source operating systems and software under GPL, MIT, BSD and Apache licenses from the state's Digital Age Assurance Act.
What happened
California's legislature has unanimously passed Assembly Bill 1856, exempting open-source operating systems from the state's Digital Age Assurance Act before the law takes effect on January 1, 2027. The Senate approved the bill 39-0 on August 26 after an August 21 amendment, and the Assembly accepted the changes the following day. AB 1856 now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom.
Why it matters
The amendments redefine an "operating system provider" to exclude anyone distributing software under license terms that allow copying, redistribution and modification — GPL, MIT, BSD and Apache all qualify, removing Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch and the BSD family from the law's scope.
Libraries and dependencies shipped through package managers such as apt and pacman are excluded too, and no one may request an age signal from an OS provider or app store unless the law requires it.