Closed Network Privacy Podcast

Show Notes -
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TOPICS
- Ubuntu, Canonical, and the Slow Erosion of Linux Trust
"Your Phone Is Now the Checkpoint"
Age Verification, iOS 26.4, and the Architecture of an Identity-Gated Internet

Lunduke List of operating systems out right rejecting or accepting age Verification
https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify
Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification
The developers or publishers of these open source Operating Systems have decided to not implement Age Verification, or are currently restricting access in regions with Age Verification laws.
Operating SystemNotes⛔Omarchy LinuxDeveloper statement⛔Devuan LinuxDeveloper statement⛔Slackware LinuxDeveloper statement⛔Vendefoul Wolf LinuxDeveloper statement 1, 2⛔GrapheneOSAndroid-based mobile OS, Developer statement⛔FreeDOSDeveloper statement⛔Artix LinuxDeveloper statement⛔DB48XCalculator firmware, Developer statement⛔Arch Linux 32Developer forbids usage in Brazil, California⛔Ageless LinuxDebian fork created to protest Age Verification⛔Garuda LinuxDeveloper statement⛔Void LinuxDeveloper statement⛔EndeavorOS LinuxDeveloper statementOperating Systems Planning to Implement Age Verification
The developers or publishers of these Open Source Operating Systems have made plans and/or statements that they intend to comply with new Age Verification laws. But, as yet, that Age Verfication functionality is not fully implemented.
Operating SystemNotes🏗️UbuntuPlanning Discussion, Ubuntu VP Statement🏗️Pop!_OSSystem76 Statement opposing, but planning to implement🏗️elementary OSFounder Statement planning to implement🏗️Midnight BSDLicense temporarily forbids usage in Brazil, California, until implementation finished🏗️FedoraPlanning DiscussionOperating Systems Which Have Already Implemented Age Verification
As of the most recent update to this document, no known Open Source Operating Systems have fully complied with legal Age Verification requirements for Brazil or California.
1. Brazil's Digital ECA Went Live March 17 — and Nobody Was Ready
This week's biggest story. Brazil's mandatory age verification law went live on March 17, 2026, and Proton VPN reported a staggering 250% increase in Brazilian sign-ups between Monday and Tuesday, as users scrambled to avoid submitting biometric scans and identity documents just to access social media. Th Yahoo!e law — the Digital ECA — bans self-declaration as a verification method, and fines run up to 10% of a company's Brazilian revenue or R$50 million (~$9.5M USD) per infraction. It Adafruit gets stranger: the law contains its own internal contradiction — Article 37 says regulations cannot impose "mass, generic, or indiscriminate surveillance mechanisms," but Article 9 bans self-reported age and Article 12 demands "auditable" verification. An Adafruitd it's pulling in Linux distros — Ubuntu Linux landed on Brazil's regulatory watchlist, and Rockstar Games simply pulled its storefront from Brazilian customers entirely rather than absorb the compliance burden. St MysteriumVPNrong standalone episode or a tight follow-up segment.

2. Discord: Leaked 70,000 IDs — Then Rolled Out ID Collection to Everyone
A gift of a story for Closed Network. In October 2025, Discord disclosed that hackers breached third-party vendor 5CA and exposed approximately 70,000 government-issued ID images used for age verification. A single compromised account gave attackers access for 58 hours. Stateofsurveillance Discord's response? Beginning in early March, Discord started locking all users into a "teen-appropriate experience" unless they proved they were adults — through a face scan or government ID upload via a third-party vendor. Electronic Frontier Foundation The EFF called it out directly: Discord delayed the global rollout to the "second half of 2026" after backlash, and said one of its initial partners, Persona, "did not meet the bar" for on-device processing. Electronic Frontier Foundation The through-line for Simon: the system that leaked 70,000 IDs isn't fundamentally different from the one being rolled out to 200 million users.
3. Colorado SB26-051: Every OS Must Card You at Setup
Colorado's SB26-051 "Age Attestation on Computing Devices" passed the Senate on March 3, 2026 with a 28–7 vote. LegiScan The bill doesn't regulate websites — it shifts responsibility directly to operating system providers and app distribution infrastructure. OS providers would be required to collect a user's date of birth at account setup, generate an age bracket signal, and make it available to developers via API every time an app is downloaded or launched. Biometric Update The kicker: the bill never specifies how age is actually determined — account holders just "indicate" their birth date. No ID check. No verification mechanism. Any user could lie and the system would accept it. It's FOSS Strong angle: this is California AB 1043's little sibling — but potentially even more technically sweeping because it explicitly covers Linux distros and general-purpose computing devices.

4. Character.AI Rolls Out KYC — AI Companions Now Require Government ID
Character.AI's March 2026 update mandates that users prove their age through KYC protocols. If you cannot verify your identity, you cannot chat with the bots. AGILE LEADERSHIP DAY The angle here is mission creep — age verification has now expanded from social media and adult content to AI chatbots. The EU AI Act's rules for high-risk AI systems take full effect by August 2026, and the Act strictly prohibits AI systems from deploying manipulative techniques or exploiting user vulnerabilities related to age — forcing platforms like Character.AI to definitively prove they are not exploiting minors, which means knowing exactly how old their users are. AGILE LEADERSHIP DAY This is a natural bridge episode connecting age verification to the AI regulation space.
5. Congress: KOSA vs. The App Store Accountability Act — Two Very Different Bills
Two bills now moving through Congress take fundamentally different approaches — KOSA requires companies to conduct risk assessments, restrict default settings on minors' accounts up to age 17, and give parents oversight tools. The App Store Accountability Act attempts to stop the problem before a child ever opens an app: requiring age verification at the account level and parental consent for every minor's download. Fortune Also notable: COPPA 2.0 covers ages 13 to 16, bans targeted advertising to minors entirely, and creates a dedicated FTC enforcement division — closing the loophole that allowed companies to treat teenagers as unprotected users. Fortune
6. The Bypass Problem Is Getting Worse — AI Deepfakes Are Now a Tool
A Brazilian lawyer told Rest of World: "Age-verification technologies are not infallible. Minors are using increasingly sophisticated techniques, including VPNs and AI-generated deepfakes or selfies." Rest of World On Roblox, one user posted a video showing a crude face painted on a thumb passing the age check and being assessed as 13–15 years old. Another user wrote they used a fake ID of Joseph Stalin and it got accepted. Rest of World This is darkly funny and devastating at the same time — and directly undermines the entire premise of facial age estimation as a security measure.

What does Google keep on you?
Austin Evans downloaded his Google Takeout - 527 GB of data:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcHrqgz30pk

Acess the blog article and podcast - https://closednetwork.io/why-the-iphone-is-the-most-surveilled-device-on-the-planet/
Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-54-why-the-iphone-is-the-most-surveilled-device-on-the-planet/179
Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.io/support/
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Michael Bates - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
TK - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
VO - Privacy Bad Ass
MrMilkMustache - Privacy Supporter
Hutch - Privacy Advocate
TOP LIGHTNING BOOSTERS !!!! THANK YOU !!!
@bon 108k SATS!
@wartime - 22,861 SATS
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@fireflygo 6,517 SATS !! - 17,567 !!
@unkown
@anonymous
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Intro Clip Credit - Jack Rhysider - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/glpvcVQsChE

Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-53-locked-out-how-governments-and-google-are-closing-the-open-internet/178

Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.io
BTC Lightning Donations - [email protected] / [email protected]

Thank You Patreons! -
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Michael Bates - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
TK - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
VO - Privacy Bad Ass
MrMilkMustache - Privacy Supporter
Hutch - Privacy Advocate
TOP LIGHTNING BOOSTERS !!!! THANK YOU !!!
@bon 108k SATS!
@wartime - 22,861 SATS
@SircussMedia - 48,663 SATS!
@sn@x
@fireflygo 6,517 SATS !! - 17,567 !!
@unkown
@anonymous
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Show Notes

In 2026, two massive shifts are quietly closing the open internet — one driven by governments, one by Google. The first: California, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, Utah, and countries across the world are passing laws requiring operating systems to collect your age at device setup and broadcast it to every app you install. The second: Google is requiring every Android app developer — even those who never touch the Play Store — to submit government ID, pay a fee, and register with Google, or have their apps blocked from 95% of Android devices worldwide by 2027. Both policies hit the privacy community hardest: the apps most threatened are the open-source tools, anonymous utilities, and F-Droid staples that privacy-conscious users depend on. In this episode, we break down both stories in plain language, connect the dots between them, and walk through practical steps every listener can take — from DeGoogled phones to VPNs to backing up your APKs before the window closes. If you care about who controls your device, this episode is essential listening.

Timestamps
0:00 — Cold Open: Two Stories, One Threat
5:00 — Part 1: OS-Level Age Verification — What It Is
10:00 — The US Laws (California, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, Utah, Colorado)
18:00 — The International Wave (Australia, UK, EU, and beyond)
23:00 — Why This Matters for Everyone's Privacy
28:00 — Part 2: Google Closes Android
33:00 — What Developer Verification Actually Requires
38:00 — Who Gets Hurt (F-Droid, anonymous devs, privacy tools)
46:00 — Who Is Fighting Back
52:00 — Connecting the Dots: The Same Story, Two Actors
62:00 — What You Can Do Right Now
75:00 — Wrap-Up & Takeaways

Key Laws & Legislation Referenced
California AB 1043 (Digital Age Assurance Act) — Effective January 1, 2027
Louisiana HB 570 — Effective July 1, 2026
Illinois SB 3977 — Effective January 1, 2027
Texas SB 2420 — Mobile-focused age verification
Utah SB 142 — Partially in force, additional provisions through December 2026
Colorado SB26-051 — Proposed; effective date January 1, 2028
UK Online Safety Act 2023 — In force July 25, 2025
Australia Online Safety Act — Social media ban December 2025; search engines June 2026
Google Developer Verification Policy — Enforcement begins September 2026; global 2027

Organizations & Movements Referenced
Keep Android Open (keepandroidopen.org) — Campaign opposing Google's developer verification
F-Droid (f-droid.org) — Open-source Android app repository; signed the open letter
Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org) — Digital rights advocacy; fighting both issues
Free Software Foundation (fsf.org) — Open-source advocacy; signed the open letter
Tor Project (torproject.org) — Anonymity network; signed the open letter
Proton AG (proton.me) — Privacy-focused email and VPN; signed the open letter
Nextcloud, Fastmail, Vivaldi, Article 19 — Also among the 37+ open letter signatories

Tools & Platforms Mentioned
GrapheneOS (grapheneos.org) — Most privacy-hardened Android alternative; AOSP-based; exempt from both policies discussed
CalyxOS (calyxos.org) — Privacy-focused Android alternative; AOSP-based; exempt
LineageOS (lineageos.org) — Broad device compatibility; AOSP-based; exempt
/e/OS (e.foundation) — DeGoogled Android; AOSP-based; exempt
F-Droid (f-droid.org) — Open-source app repository; source-code audited apps
Signal (signal.org) — End-to-end encrypted messaging
Orbot — Tor for Android; available on F-Droid
Proton Mail / Tutanota — End-to-end encrypted email
APK Extractor — Tool for backing up installed app files

Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-52-opsec-fail-epstein-files-why-decentralized-systems-are-a-threat-to-power-networks-age-verify-is-coming-to-everything/177
Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.io/support/
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Michael Bates - Privacy Bad Ass
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VO - Privacy Bad Ass
MrMilkMustache - Privacy Supporter
Hutch - Privacy Advocate
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wartime
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Apple rolls out age-verification tools worldwide to comply with growing web of child safety laws
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/24/apple-rolls-out-age-verification-tools-worldwide-to-comply-with-growing-web-of-child-safety-laws/
iOS 26.3—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2026/02/13/ios-263-update-now-warning-issued-to-all-iphone-users/
Using the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20700, an attacker could execute arbitrary code. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26,” Apple said on its support page.

iOS 26.4 Beta - End-To-End RCS Encryption For Messages
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-26-4-beta-features/#:~:text=End%2Dto%2DEnd%20RCS%20Encryption%20for%20Messages

Popular password managers fall short of “zero-knowledge” claims
https://cyberinsider.com/popular-password-managers-fall-short-of-zero-knowledge-claims/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLJ_sLr72-g

Watch Out: Your Friends Might Be Sharing Your Number With ChatGPT
https://www.pcmag.com/news/watch-out-your-friends-might-be-sharing-your-number-with-chatgpt?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=A

BitLocker, the FBI, and the Illusion of Control
https://cryptomator.org/blog/2026/02/15/bitlocker-fbi-and-the-illusion-of-control/
Google patches first Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks this year
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-patches-first-chrome-zero-day-exploited-in-attacks-this-year/

the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds
https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona
TL;DR: discord's KYC provider (persona) is very naked, very poorly secured federal intelligence outfit, and also a siphon for openai data for them and their partners like worldcoin
The most interesting part (for me) is that it legit crosschecks a discord ID check (actually involves checking your face, IP, device signature, etc....) against chainanlysis dossiers for any partial matches to devices/people/accounts/names involved with tracked crypto addresses.
So, if chainalysis gets a device signature, and then you verify your discord on the same device (yielding the same signature), both FinCEN, Chainalysis, OpenAI, and basically everyone now knows your crypto tx <==> your device sig <===> your real identity

Bill Summary: SB26-051 – Age Attestation on Computing Devices

Purpose:
SB26-051 requires operating system providers (such as mobile device platforms) to implement an age attestation system that signals a user’s age bracket to apps in order to enhance protections for minors.

What the Bill Requires
1. Operating System Providers Must:

Provide an accessible interface at account setup requiring the account holder to enter the user’s birth date or age.
Generate an “age signal” that communicates the user’s age bracket (not exact age) to applications in a covered app store.
Provide developers access to this age signal through a real-time API.
Share only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply.
Not share the age signal with third parties except as required by the bill.

2. Application Developers Must:
Request the age signal when the app is downloaded and launched.
Treat the age signal as knowledge of the user’s age range across all platforms and access points.
If they have clear and convincing evidence that a user’s age differs from the signal, they must rely on that updated information.
Not request more information than necessary.
Not share the age signal with third parties except as required by the bill.
Enforcement & Penalties
If violated:

Up to $2,500 per minor per negligent violation
Up to $7,500 per minor per intentional violation
Enforced through civil action by the Colorado Attorney General
In Simple Terms
The bill creates a standardized age-verification signal built into device operating systems. Instead of each app independently collecting age data, the operating system provides an age bracket to apps — while limiting unnecessary data sharing.

The goal is to:

Strengthen protections for minors
Limit excessive data collection
Create a consistent age-verification framework across apps

Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-51-snoop-on-them-as-they-snoop-on-us/174
Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.io/support/
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Michael Bates - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
Inferno Potato - Privacy Bad Ass
TK - Privacy Bad Ass
David - Privacy Bad Ass
VO - Privacy Bad Ass
Richard G. - Privacy Bad Ass
MrMilkMustache - Privacy Supporter
Hutch - Privacy Advocate
TOP LIGHTNING BOOSTERS !!!! THANK YOU !!!
@bon
@sn@x
@fireflygo
wartime
@unkown
@anonymous
BBB - Buy Me. A Coffee - $30.00
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