Dylan M. Taylor, a longtime open source contributor, added an optional birthDate field to systemd's user database to help Linux distributions comply with US state age verification laws. The change sparked intense controversy in the Linux community, leading to harassment and death threats against Taylor. In an interview, he defended the addition as simple attestation rather than verification.
Dylan M. Taylor, known for contributions to Arch Linux installer, NixOS packages, and various FOSS projects, recently submitted a pull request adding an optional birthDate field to systemd's user database. The feature aims to provide a lightweight way for Linux distributions to meet emerging US state requirements on age verification without mandating invasive checks. Taylor emphasized that the field is self-attested, nullable, and stored locally, distinguishing it from true identity verification. 'Moving towards OS-level surveillance is definitely not the intention,' Taylor said in response to concerns about surveillance risks. He noted that similar fields like location already exist and that users can enter any value, making it unsuitable for tracking. Critics viewed the change as a step toward government overreach, but Taylor argued that corporate-backed distributions like those from Valve and System76 must comply to remain viable alternatives to closed systems. 'If we ignore regulations entirely, we risk Linux being something that companies are not willing to contribute to,' he stated. The backlash escalated quickly, with Taylor facing doxxing, hate mail, death threats, racism, homophobia, and antisemitism. He disabled issues and pull request tabs on his GitHub repositories and dealt with pranks like unwanted takeout orders and missionary visits. Despite the toll, Taylor remains committed to FOSS contributions. 'I still love Linux and free and open source software,' he affirmed, crediting supportive developers from Arch Linux and Universal Blue/Bazzite. Taylor predicts a future split between 'compliant' corporate-backed distributions and 'freedom-first' independent ones, advocating for optional implementations in tools like Calamares installers.
