Closed Network Privacy Dispatch Yellowball (https://yellowball.fm) Topic baaed short episodes between the long form episodes for the Closed Network Privacy Podcast. 2026 93677160-3ed8-5886-b5fe-375035322ef7 yes en Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:54:47 +0000 Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:56:53 +0000 https://files.yellowball.fm/shows/49f435da-7e4c-482a-bac2-f36b3bd23ca4/images/U508go0ZA9IdvsR9bkd019fJ0FbkmssuyKB1ktBE.png Closed Network Privacy Dispatch episodic Simon Walsh Topic baaed short episodes between the long form episodes for the Closed Network Privacy Podcast. Topic baaed short episodes between the long form episodes for the Closed Network Privacy Podcast. privacy security GrapheneOS Linux self hosting Simon Walsh simon@closednetwork.io false Dispatch 3 - The Age Check Is Already In Your Operating System 3 3 Dispatch 3 - The Age Check Is Already In Your Operating System full db1b8967-a956-4ac9-83dc-4bd619a236a1 https://share.yellowball.fm/s/K25vmJxC https://closednetwork.io/us-age-verification-laws-live-tracker/


IN THIS EPISODE

  1. systemd PR #40954 — a birthDate field in JSON user records, merged 18 March 2026. The PR explicitly names AB 1043, SB26-051 and Brazil's Lei 15.211. Revert attempt (#41179) rejected; Lennart Poettering's position is that the field is optional and systemd "enforces zero policy."
  2. MidnightBSD shipped the first native age-bracket subsystem in any OS — aged(8) daemon, agectl(8) CLI, agev(3) library, four Unix groups gating package installs. Self-declared only, no ID, no network calls. Their own community called it "Orwellian." The same project's licence now bars residents of Brazil and, from January, California.
  3. Three US states have enacted OS/device-level age signal laws: California AB 1043 (eff. 1 Jan 2027), Colorado SB26-051 (substantive duties 1 Jul 2028), Illinois P.A. 104-0664 (eff. 1 Jan 2028, $50,000 per violation).
  4. Only Colorado exempts open source — and the test is whether you're permitted to install your own modified build, not which licence you picked. It's an anti-lockdown rule, not a paperwork rule.
  5. That exemption exists because of one meeting. System76's Carl Richell met co-sponsor Sen. Matt Ball, who suggested excluding open source.
  6. California AB 1856 would add the same carve-out to AB 1043. Suspense hearing 13 August 2026.
  7. Texas SB 2420 (app store age verification) is in force. Fifth Circuit stayed the injunction 4 June, SCOTUS declined to vacate in July, merits argued 4 August 2026 — decision pending. The panel applied intermediate scrutiny and reasoned that "the 'payment' for apps that are purportedly 'free' is access to user data and private information."
  8. Brazil's Lei 15.211 has been in force since 17 March 2026 — currently the only OS-level regime actually operating anywhere.


]]> https://closednetwork.io/us-age-verification-laws-live-tracker/


IN THIS EPISODE

  1. systemd PR #40954 — a birthDate field in JSON user records, merged 18 March 2026. The PR explicitly names AB 1043, SB26-051 and Brazil's Lei 15.211. Revert attempt (#41179) rejected; Lennart Poettering's position is that the field is optional and systemd "enforces zero policy."
  2. MidnightBSD shipped the first native age-bracket subsystem in any OS — aged(8) daemon, agectl(8) CLI, agev(3) library, four Unix groups gating package installs. Self-declared only, no ID, no network calls. Their own community called it "Orwellian." The same project's licence now bars residents of Brazil and, from January, California.
  3. Three US states have enacted OS/device-level age signal laws: California AB 1043 (eff. 1 Jan 2027), Colorado SB26-051 (substantive duties 1 Jul 2028), Illinois P.A. 104-0664 (eff. 1 Jan 2028, $50,000 per violation).
  4. Only Colorado exempts open source — and the test is whether you're permitted to install your own modified build, not which licence you picked. It's an anti-lockdown rule, not a paperwork rule.
  5. That exemption exists because of one meeting. System76's Carl Richell met co-sponsor Sen. Matt Ball, who suggested excluding open source.
  6. California AB 1856 would add the same carve-out to AB 1043. Suspense hearing 13 August 2026.
  7. Texas SB 2420 (app store age verification) is in force. Fifth Circuit stayed the injunction 4 June, SCOTUS declined to vacate in July, merits argued 4 August 2026 — decision pending. The panel applied intermediate scrutiny and reasoned that "the 'payment' for apps that are purportedly 'free' is access to user data and private information."
  8. Brazil's Lei 15.211 has been in force since 17 March 2026 — currently the only OS-level regime actually operating anywhere.


]]> Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:54:00 +0000 Simon Walsh Simon Walsh 1188 https://closednetwork.io/us-age-verification-laws-live-tracker/


IN THIS EPISODE

  1. systemd PR #40954 — a birthDate field in JSON user records, merged 18 March 2026. The PR explicitly names AB 1043, SB26-051 and Brazil's Lei 15.211. Revert attempt (#41179) rejected; Lennart Poettering's position is that the field is optional and systemd "enforces zero policy."
  2. MidnightBSD shipped the first native age-bracket subsystem in any OS — aged(8) daemon, agectl(8) CLI, agev(3) library, four Unix groups gating package installs. Self-declared only, no ID, no network calls. Their own community called it "Orwellian." The same project's licence now bars residents of Brazil and, from January, California.
  3. Three US states have enacted OS/device-level age signal laws: California AB 1043 (eff. 1 Jan 2027), Colorado SB26-051 (substantive duties 1 Jul 2028), Illinois P.A. 104-0664 (eff. 1 Jan 2028, $50,000 per violation).
  4. Only Colorado exempts open source — and the test is whether you're permitted to install your own modified build, not which licence you picked. It's an anti-lockdown rule, not a paperwork rule.
  5. That exemption exists because of one meeting. System76's Carl Richell met co-sponsor Sen. Matt Ball, who suggested excluding open source.
  6. California AB 1856 would add the same carve-out to AB 1043. Suspense hearing 13 August 2026.
  7. Texas SB 2420 (app store age verification) is in force. Fifth Circuit stayed the injunction 4 June, SCOTUS declined to vacate in July, merits argued 4 August 2026 — decision pending. The panel applied intermediate scrutiny and reasoned that "the 'payment' for apps that are purportedly 'free' is access to user data and private information."
  8. Brazil's Lei 15.211 has been in force since 17 March 2026 — currently the only OS-level regime actually operating anywhere.


]]> privacy, age verification, operating systems, linux, windows, macOS false Dispatch 2 - The KIDS Act Passed the House — and It Quietly Points Toward ID Checks for Everyone 2 2 Dispatch 2 - The KIDS Act Passed the House — and It Quietly Points Toward ID Checks for Everyone full 8e80bac3-f4de-4e22-b194-077ba2910f21 https://share.yellowball.fm/s/shp5ivG3 https://closednetwork.io/the-kids-act-passed-the-house-and-it-quietly-points-toward-id-checks-for-everyone/


This isn't one bill — it's roughly twelve stitched together, and because three of them use three different legal tests for "who is a minor," the rational move for every covered platform is to stop guessing and just verify everyone's age. Age verification is identity verification. That's the story.

]]> https://closednetwork.io/the-kids-act-passed-the-house-and-it-quietly-points-toward-id-checks-for-everyone/


This isn't one bill — it's roughly twelve stitched together, and because three of them use three different legal tests for "who is a minor," the rational move for every covered platform is to stop guessing and just verify everyone's age. Age verification is identity verification. That's the story.

]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:20:00 +0000 Simon Walsh Simon Walsh 1019 https://closednetwork.io/the-kids-act-passed-the-house-and-it-quietly-points-toward-id-checks-for-everyone/


This isn't one bill — it's roughly twelve stitched together, and because three of them use three different legal tests for "who is a minor," the rational move for every covered platform is to stop guessing and just verify everyone's age. Age verification is identity verification. That's the story.

]]> Legislation, Big Tech & Privacy, The KIDS Act, false Dispatch 1 - Apple Is Putting a Uniform on Your "Private" Email — Here's How to Take Back Control 1 1 Dispatch 1 - Apple Is Putting a Uniform on Your "Private" Email — Here's How to Take Back Control full 9cefda3b-5f61-428c-b3a9-485038f27c23 https://share.yellowball.fm/s/l9i1A7Ta Apple is moving Hide My Email to a dedicated private.icloud.com domain, which quietly makes your aliases easy to block as a group. Here's why that's bad for users — and a full walkthrough for owning your email aliases with a custom domain, SimpleLogin, and Proton Mail.


https://closednetwork.io/apple-is-putting-a-uniform-on-your-private-email-heres-how-to-take-back-control/

]]> Apple is moving Hide My Email to a dedicated private.icloud.com domain, which quietly makes your aliases easy to block as a group. Here's why that's bad for users — and a full walkthrough for owning your email aliases with a custom domain, SimpleLogin, and Proton Mail.


https://closednetwork.io/apple-is-putting-a-uniform-on-your-private-email-heres-how-to-take-back-control/

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:28:00 +0000 Simon Walsh Simon Walsh 946 Apple is moving Hide My Email to a dedicated private.icloud.com domain, which quietly makes your aliases easy to block as a group. Here's why that's bad for users — and a full walkthrough for owning your email aliases with a custom domain, SimpleLogin, and Proton Mail.


https://closednetwork.io/apple-is-putting-a-uniform-on-your-private-email-heres-how-to-take-back-control/

]]> Apple hide my email privacy false