GrapheneOS won’t comply with age check laws for operating systems

New legislation in some regions will require people to verify their age before they can use an operating system. However, the team behind the popular GrapheneOS platform has now taken a firm stance on the matter.

“GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification or an account,” read an excerpt of a tweet from the official GrapheneOS account.

The team insisted that GrapheneOS and associated services would remain available internationally. “If GrapheneOS devices can’t be sold in a region due to their regulations, so be it,” the account concluded.

The statement comes months after California introduced Assembly Bill number 1043, which would require people to enter their age before they could use an operating system. The legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2027. It also seems like the bill doesn’t require age verification checks, but only requires people to self-report their age. Colorado has also enacted similar legislation (h/t: Tom’s Hardware). Brazil is going a step further with its Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents, though, which requires platforms to use age verification systems rather than self-reporting mechanisms.

What about people visiting the GrapheneOS website via VPNs? The team explained its stance:

We have no obligation to block people from visiting our website via GeoIP. If an authoritarian government wants to block access to GrapheneOS services, they can figure out how to do it. We don’t filter the internet for Iran or North Korea so why would we for Brazil or California?

It also comes after Motorola announced plans to launch a GrapheneOS-powered phone. Furthermore, the deal will see Motorola bringing “the best of GrapheneOS features” across its portfolio. So even if you don’t buy a Moto phone powered by this privacy-focused Android fork, you should still see some benefits on other Moto phones.