Distro Compliance Tracker

How Distros Are Responding

We track how Linux distributions are responding to age verification mandates, and we provide tools to undo whatever they implement. If a distribution adds an age collection prompt, we will publish a script that removes it. If it ships a D-Bus age verification daemon, we will publish a package that replaces it with silence.

Current Status

As of March 2026

AB 1043 takes effect January 1, 2027. No major distribution has shipped compliance mechanisms yet. The discussion is happening now. Here is where every project stands.

DISTRIBUTION
STATUS
AGELESS RESPONSE
Ubuntu / Canonical
Canonical published a clarification (Mar 4, 2026): "reviewing internally with legal counsel" but "no concrete plans on how, or even whether, Ubuntu will change."
WATCHING
Debian
Active discussion on debian-legal and debian-devel mailing lists. Aaron Rainbolt (Kicksecure/Whonix) proposed org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1 D-Bus interface. Community member FloofyWolf responded with satirical systemd-censord counter-proposal. No official project position.
DISCUSSING
Fedora / Red Hat
CC'd on the freedesktop.org cross-distro thread. No official response. Fedora legal list is aware of the legislation.
SILENT
Arch Linux
No official response. Arch has no account setup, no installer-driven user creation workflow, and no centralized app store. The law's requirements have no obvious attachment point.
SILENT
Kicksecure / Whonix
Aaron Rainbolt is actively working on a compliance path. Proposed the cross-distro D-Bus interface. Plans to store only age bracket data, not birthdates, with user-triggered updates when they cross bracket boundaries.
COMPLYING
MidnightBSD
Modified its license to exclude California residents from desktop use effective January 1, 2027. First project to respond with a geographic restriction.
EXCLUDING CA
SteamOS / Valve
No public response. Steam already has age-gated content and account age fields. SteamOS on the Steam Deck is likely the highest-profile consumer Linux device affected.
SILENT
Ageless Linux
Flagrantly noncompliant. Ships a machine-readable REFUSAL notice. Provides no age collection interface. Provides no age bracket API. Plans to distribute physical devices to children at school STEM fairs. Invites enforcement.
REFUSED

The Emerging Standard

org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1

Aaron Rainbolt's March 1, 2026 proposal to the Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and freedesktop.org mailing lists outlines a D-Bus interface that would become the standard age verification mechanism across Linux distributions. Understanding this interface is essential to understanding what Ageless Linux will need to neutralize.

Proposed Interface

<interface name="org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1">
  <method name="SetAge">
    <arg type="s" name="User" direction="in"/>
    <arg type="u" name="YearsOfAge" direction="in"/>
  </method>
  <method name="SetDateOfBirth">
    <arg type="s" name="User" direction="in"/>
    <arg type="s" name="Date" direction="in"/>
  </method>
  <method name="GetAgeBracket">
    <arg type="s" name="User" direction="in"/>
    <arg type="u" name="AgeBracket" direction="out"/>
  </method>
</interface>

Brackets: 1 = under 13, 2 = 13-15, 3 = 16-17, 4 = 18+. Returns AgeUndefined error if no age has been set. Runs on the system bus as root. Age data stored root-owned, not world-readable.

Ageless Linux Response: When This Ships, We Ship a Replacement

When any distribution ships an implementation of org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1, Ageless Linux will provide:

1. A drop-in replacement daemon that implements the interface but always returns AgeUndefined
2. A package that masks/disables the real daemon via systemd
3. An unattended install preseed/kickstart/cloud-init snippet that skips age collection
4. A post-install script that removes or neuters the age verification stack

The goal is not to break applications that query the interface. The goal is to ensure they receive a consistent "age unknown" response. Applications that cannot function without age data are applications that have chosen to require surveillance as a prerequisite for use. We will not help them.

Reversion Guides

How to Remove What They Add

As distributions implement age verification, this section will provide step-by-step reversion instructions for each one. Currently, there is nothing to revert — but we're ready.

Ubuntu / GNOME (anticipated)

If Canonical adds age collection to the Ubuntu installer or GNOME Initial Setup, the likely mechanism will be either an AccountsService extension or the proposed D-Bus daemon. Reversion: 

# Anticipated — will be updated when implementation ships
# Mask the age verification daemon
sudo systemctl mask ageverification.service

# Or replace with Ageless stub
sudo apt install ageless-ageverification-stub

# Remove age data from AccountsService
sudo rm -f /var/lib/AccountsService/users/*.age

# Verify
dbus-send --system --print-reply \
  --dest=org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1 \
  /org/freedesktop/AgeVerification1 \
  org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1.GetAgeBracket \
  string:"$(whoami)"
# Should return: Error AgeUndefined

Status: Speculative. No implementation exists yet. This section will be updated with tested instructions when a real implementation ships.

Debian Installer (anticipated)

If Debian adds an age question to d-i (debian-installer), it will likely be a new udeb component. Reversion for unattended installs: 

# Preseed to skip age collection (anticipated)
d-i ageverification/skip boolean true
d-i ageverification/age string undefined

# Post-install removal
apt purge ageverification-daemon
echo "AGELESS_AGE_VERIFICATION_STATUS=refused" >> /etc/os-release

Fedora / Anaconda (anticipated)

# Kickstart snippet to skip age verification
%packages
-ageverification-daemon
ageless-stub
%end

%post
systemctl mask ageverification.service
%end

Any Distro, Right Now

No distro has shipped age verification yet. For the moment, the only thing you need: 

curl -fsSL https://agelesslinux.org/become-ageless.sh | sudo bash -s -- --flagrant

This installs the Ageless Linux identity and REFUSAL notice. When there is something real to remove, this script will be updated to remove it.

The Commitment

What Ageless Linux Promises

As long as any Linux distribution ships age verification infrastructure mandated by state law, Ageless Linux will maintain tools to remove, replace, or bypass that infrastructure. We will track every compliance mechanism across every major distribution. We will provide tested, documented, one-command reversion for each one. We will maintain forked packages, replacement daemons, installer preseeds, and post-install scripts.

There will always be a Linux distribution that treats its users as people of indeterminate age.