> 3. Devices that can access the internet must include parental control software can be configured to allow/forbid all apps/content that may contain content not deemed suitable for children (in the jurisdiction where the device is sold).
Highly likely to be the end of free software/general purpose computing, which would be quite a bit worse than identifying yourself to companies providing adult material (in a world where ads haven't corrupted everything, you'd identify yourself when paying for it anyway just like any other e-commerce transaction).
I think the “must” is probably a bit much, however we could have something similar to Energy Star but call it something like “Child Star” (I mean, POTUS would back it).
If you want to be Child Star certified, you need to provide access controls that conform to whatever standard web hosts implement. Parents could be encouraged to buy such products, and this would market well to the parents who complain about what their kids watch on YouTube but also can’t be bothered to _parent_ and actually curate said content.
I think age verification is a losing battle that does what most similar schemes do: make it harder for legitimate users while not having a large impact on the purported problem. All while providing another way to track user data and create huge privacy risk. I’m all for some kind of opt-in or certification system that allows websites that care and parents who care _enough_ to work together to address whatever problem they perceive while letting the rest of us go about our business not even noticing a change in the online landscape.
I'm saying that devices must be sold with this parental control software, not that this software must be used/activated. Most devices already have support for restricted modes like "guest mode".
Highly likely to be the end of free software/general purpose computing, which would be quite a bit worse than identifying yourself to companies providing adult material (in a world where ads haven't corrupted everything, you'd identify yourself when paying for it anyway just like any other e-commerce transaction).