this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2026
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This change is not happening in isolation. There is currently a general trend towards de-anonymising users, and this DOB field is a step in that direction.
The only real question is, do I want my computer storing more, or less, personally identifying information. Given that I don't trust ANY use which may be later enabled by this change, my answer is 'less'.
Does this systemd change facilitate future verification softwares? Definitely. Will it become a part of systemd? Extremely unlikely. Should systemd rebel and refuse to include anything facilitating these disturbing laws? Eh, probably.
But let's not blow this change out of proportions. This is a way for systemd to not aggressively fight the laws, without enabling them either. This field changes nothing, and you will still be able to use distros that don't even employ the field at all. They might become illegal to use in the land of the free, but that's a separate issue that this change does not impact.