GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating system
Recorded: March 22, 2026, 10 p.m.
| Original | Summarized |
GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information | Tom's Hardware
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Premium Don't miss these Artificial Intelligence Tech Industry ChromeOS Artificial Intelligence 3D Printing GPUs Artificial Intelligence Operating Systems 3D Printing Artificial Intelligence 3D Printing GPUs PC Gaming Artificial Intelligence 3D Printing Trending🔥TH Premium DealGTC 2026DLSS 5RAM ShortageBartlett LakeIntel Xeon 600RAM Combo Deals Software Operating Systems GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information News By published 22 March 2026 Doesn’t care if its devices can’t be sold in regions that require ID verification. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Copy link X Share this article 21 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tom's Hardware Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter GrapheneOS, the privacy-focused Android fork, said in a post on X on Friday that it will not comply with emerging laws requiring operating systems to collect user age data at setup. "GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification or an account," the project stated. "If GrapheneOS devices can't be sold in a region due to their regulations, so be it."GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification or an account. GrapheneOS and our services will remain available internationally. If GrapheneOS devices can't be sold in a region due to their regulations, so be it.March 20, 2026Tom's Hardware Premium Roadmaps (Image credit: Future)High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) Roadmap Nvidia Enterprise GPU and CPU RoadmapAI accelerator RoadmapDesktop GPU Roadmap3D NAND RoadmapThe statement came after Brazil's Digital ECA (Law 15.211) took effect on March 17, imposing fines of up to R$50 million (roughly $9.5 million) per violation on operating system providers that fail to implement age verification. California's Digital Age Assurance Act (AB-1043), signed by Governor Newsom in October 2025, takes effect on January 1, 2027, and requires every OS provider to collect a user's age or date of birth during account setup and pipe that data to app stores and developers through a real-time API. Colorado's SB26-051 passed the state senate on March 3 with similar requirements.GrapheneOS is developed by the GrapheneOS Foundation, a registered Canadian nonprofit. None of these laws originate in Canada, but questions around jurisdiction remain open. U.S. federal prosecutors successfully extradited and convicted the developers of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused Bitcoin mixer, in a case where one defendant lived in Portugal. California's AB-1043 carries civil penalties of up to $2,500 per affected child for negligent violations and $7,500 for intentional ones, enforced by the state attorney general.Article continues below You may like California introduces age verification law for all operating systems, including Linux and SteamOS — user age verified during OS account setup Anthropic refuses to lower AI guardrails for The Pentagon AI vibe-coded operating system is so bad it can't even run Doom Motorola and GrapheneOS announced a long-term partnership at MWC on March 2, to bring to bring the hardened OS to future Motorola hardware, ending GrapheneOS's long-standing exclusivity to Google Pixel devices. A GrapheneOS-powered Motorola phone is expected in 2027. If Motorola sells devices with GrapheneOS pre-installed, those devices would need to comply with local regulations in every market where they ship, or Motorola may need to restrict sales geographically.GrapheneOS isn’t the first and won’t be the last company to outright refuse compliance with incoming age verification laws. The developers of open-source calculator firmware DB48X issued a legal notice recently, stating that their software "does not, cannot and will not implement age verification,” while MidnightBSD updated its license to ban users in Brazil.California's law doesn’t require photo ID or biometric verification; users simply self-report their age during setup. Critics, including over 400 computer scientists who signed an open letter, have argued that the laws create surveillance infrastructure without meaningfully protecting children, since self-declaration is trivially bypassed. 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21 Comments Comment from the forums wolfferth we already know it's not about "age verification". everyone gets an inmate# and it's required to run the global bold project / spare parts live stock project. Reply usertests wolfferth said:we already know it's not about "age verification". everyone gets an inmate# and it's required to run the global bold project / spare parts live stock project.Grim but true. Reply LordVile wolfferth said:we already know it's not about "age verification". everyone gets an inmate# and it's required to run the global bold project / spare parts live stock project.Stop being silly Reply Zaranthos They want a digital fingerprint on everything so they can track you from birth to death. We need a lot more "up yours" and bird flipping to the surveillance state. Reply Notton Good for them. I'm sure dictionaries define a "Dictionary" as a dictionary too. Reply LordVile Do does this mean if I install it on my phone they’d get fined? Reply beyondlogic Let's be real if people just used parental controls on devices and actually learned to implement them instead of blaming every software company under the sun for there bad decisions we wouldn't have this nanny crap of id every website program under the sun lol. It's shocking how many parents don't even know there's parent controls on android and Xbox etc. ( As a parent myself most parent locks are robust Xbox/Nintendo) You can even lock the net off. Reply SomeoneElse23 Good for them. I may have to check them out now. Reply jram79 Looks like I'm going to be a spry 175 year old in California and Colorado. Nice! Reply skyy06 If got nothing to hide then you got nothing to fear, unless you are a child or a pedophile who refuses to verify Reply View All 21 Comments Show more comments Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Add as a preferred source on Google Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us About us Coupons Careers © |
GrapheneOS, the privacy-focused Android operating system developed by the GrapheneOS Foundation, is steadfastly refusing to comply with burgeoning age verification laws across several jurisdictions, specifically citing Brazil’s Digital ECA (Law 15.211) and California’s AB-1043. In a recent statement released on X (formerly Twitter), GrapheneOS asserted its commitment to maintaining its usability for anyone globally, without requiring personal information, identification, or account creation. The project’s stance is encapsulated in the declaration: "If GrapheneOS devices can’t be sold in a region due to their regulations, so be it.” This approach reflects a broader trend amongst privacy-focused companies resisting mandates that could introduce surveillance infrastructure. The impetus for this resistance stems from laws designed to protect minors online. Brazil’s law, for instance, carries a potential fine of up to R$50 million (approximately $9.5 million) for operating system providers that fail to implement age verification during initial setup. Similarly, California’s AB-1043, slated to take effect in January 2027, mandates that all operating systems collect a user’s age or date of birth during account configuration and pipe this data to app stores and developers via a real-time API. Colorado’s SB26-051, recently passed by the state senate, mirrors these requirements. The core issue, according to GrapheneOS, is that these laws inherently create a surveillance system predicated on self-reported data, which is easily circumvented. The GrapheneOS Foundation’s founders are not unfamiliar with regulatory challenges. The organization’s repeated battles with the U.S. Department of Justice, culminating in the successful extradition and conviction of developers involved in the Samourai Wallet privacy wallet, underscore a tenacious defense of user privacy. Furthermore, other projects, such as MidnightBSD, have proactively taken legal steps to prevent compliance, specifically updating their licenses to prohibit users in Brazil. This proactive measure highlights the growing sentiment within the open-source community against what is perceived as overly intrusive regulation. The legal arguments against these age verification laws are often centered around concerns regarding privacy and effectiveness. Critics, including a coalition of over 400 computer scientists, argue that the laws’ focus on data collection without demonstrably improving child safety is a misguided approach. The self-declaration method utilized by AB-1043 is viewed as vulnerable to manipulation, posing significant risks if used to track and identify young users. There are valid points brought forward by these legal arguments. The implications of GrapheneOS’s unwavering stance extend beyond its own operations. It signals a broader resistance against increasingly restrictive regulations aimed at controlling online activity and data collection. The legal precedents established by cases such as Samourai Wallet demonstrate that even small, independent projects can successfully challenge government overreach. Ultimately, the situation underscores a fundamental conflict between the desire for digital safety and the protection of individual liberties, a tension that is likely to intensify as governments continue to grapple with the complexities of online child protection. The GrapheneOS Foundation’s willingness to prioritize user freedom over regulatory compliance demonstrates a clear commitment to its core mission: providing a truly secure and private computing experience. |