A physical computing device designed to satisfy every element of the California Digital Age Assurance Act's regulatory scope while deliberately refusing to comply with its requirements. The device costs less than lunch and will be handed to children.
Yes — this device has an AI accelerator. Under AB 1043, an AI-capable Linux computer handed to a child without age verification is legally indistinguishable from an iPhone. The iPhone costs $1,199. This costs $12.
A Raspberry Pi would work. But the Milk-V Duo S on RISC-V establishes that the law applies to novel architectures, not just the ARM/x86 duopoly the legislature was imagining. A RISC-V device running Linux is still a "general purpose computing device" running "operating system software." The instruction set architecture is irrelevant to the statute. We want the AG to have to explain why.
Minimum viable violation. A bootable Linux device with a display, network connectivity, and an app store. No battery, no keyboard — just proof that this constitutes a regulated device under AB 1043. Good for bulk handout at conferences (50-100 units).
Legal status: Arguable. The 128×64 display introduces fuzziness. The AG could claim it's a dev board. That's fine — ambiguity is instructive too.
An unambiguous general purpose computing device. Color display, keyboard, WiFi, Linux, app store, user setup. The core product. There is no interpretive gap between this device and the law's definitions.
Legal status: Unambiguous. This is a computer with a color display, keyboard, WiFi, Linux, and an app store. It does not collect age data. It is handed to a child. The maximum fine is $7,500.
A self-contained, battery-powered pocket Linux computer. The educational device angle — a modern descendant of the Acorn BBC Micro and the original Raspberry Pi.
Legal status: Beyond unambiguous. A pocket computer with a color screen, keyboard, battery, WiFi, 8GB storage, and an AI accelerator. It costs less than a large pizza. It fits in a child's hand.
These are all general purpose computing devices designed for education. The Ageless Device is the first one that California requires to ask a child how old they are before letting them write their first program.
We will publish complete, tested build instructions including:
Everything needed to produce your own AB 1043 violations at $14/unit in quantities of 50. The build system, image files, application source, and hardware designs will be released under the Unlicense.
Maximum statutory penalty (50 devices, all to children): $375,000
Penalty-to-cost ratio: 535:1
Every device carries a printed label: