Thats kinda the point of the malicious compliance though. It’s an optional field. By default, distros can choose to ignore it or auto fill in 1900-01-01. In places where it’s required by law, adduser can ask and it will accept anything. The same way adduser currently asks for your real name, phone numbers, and room number but does not give a fuck what they are or if you fill them out.

The parental controls issue is actually a bigger deal. I would love to give my kids a Linux laptop that could actually protect their privacy while also giving me good parental control tool, but such a thing does not exists. Yes, if you do a quick search for “Linux parental controls” you’ll find some things, but they are clearly half-assed attempts that don’t really work. This absolutely doesn’t either but maybe it’s a step in that direction. Instead, I do what most schools and parents do and give them a Chromebook because it has a good, though not great, parental control system.

Let me be clear, I am also opposed to age verification laws and have written, called and had meetings with my representatives to oppose them. It’s been somewhat successful, though not as much as I would like.

In the end, malicious compliance that allows FOSS developers plausible deniability is better than ignoring the laws and hoping that you’re not the one they decide to make an example of.