GitHub says age-assurance laws are moving down the stack toward operating systems and app stores

GitHub published a policy post saying age-assurance proposals increasingly target devices, operating systems, and app stores, which could create unintended burdens for open source developers and infrastructure services. The company says some proposals would require operating systems to collect age information and pass age signals to apps and websites.

GitHub says it has engaged with governments on age-related online safety proposals for several years and points to Australia and France as examples where open source code collaboration sites were excluded from scope. The post says poorly designed laws could conflict with decentralized open source norms, including user-controlled software distribution and small-scale community maintenance.

GitHub argues that laws aimed at large consumer platforms can accidentally sweep in developer infrastructure if they are written too broadly. The company says open source ecosystems depend on low-friction software distribution, public collaboration, and maintenance by individuals or small teams that are not structured like major consumer internet services.

The post frames device-level age assurance as a stack-level shift with implications beyond social platforms, especially if operating systems and app stores become the enforcement point for age-gating across software and web access.

Source: GitHub Blog — https://github.blog/news-insights/policy-news-and-insights/why-age-assurance-laws-matter-for-developers/