California moves to exempt Linux from its age-verification law after backlash

California is moving to exempt most open-source Linux distributions from its Digital Age Assurance Act through Amendment Bill 1856, which would exclude operating systems distributed under licenses allowing users to copy, redistribute, and modify the software. The original law, passed in late 2025, would have required operating systems to implement age verification during device setup, but faced significant backlash from Linux developers and privacy advocates who argued it was impractical for decentralized, community-run projects and posed privacy risks. The amendment narrows the definition of "operating system provider" to primarily affect commercial platforms like iOS and Android while exempting mainstream Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.