Re: On the need for a censorship API for legal compliance reasons in some countries and U.S. states

Adenix NPSP <[email protected]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:09:34 -0500
Newsgroups gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal
Message-ID <CAKiotKyoLvHkp9dubonLef=-oGVxOFn-3rTb2n6UaoyyMMyGkQ@mail.gmail.com>
--0000000000006d959e064d406ed7
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

As long as the API doesn't get as much encryption as Fort Knox, I should be
able to find a way to disable it.

On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 5:02=E2=80=AFPM Jamie Null <[email protected]> wrote=
:

> Fair enough. I would assume you can patch out all the age verification
> stuff.
>
> To be honest I would be damned if the Projects actually end up
> implementing age verification because three jurisdictions asked them to
> do so. It would also establish some sort of precedence for non-western
> countries known for mass surveillance (such as China or the DPRK) to
> make similar demands.
>
> -- Jamie
>
> On 2026-03-17 14:56, Adenix NPSP wrote:
> > What I'm trying to do is gather the info I need to prevent AdenosineOS =
8
> > from being the first version with age verification.
> >
> > On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 4:48=E2=80=AFPM Jamie Null <[email protected]> w=
rote:
> >
> >> I'm going to hope that this is all satire.
> >>
> >> -- Jamie
> >>
> >> On 2026-03-17 14:00, Adenix NPSP wrote:
> >>> Will there be a way for developers of "ageless" linux distros (linux
> >>> distros without age verification) to handle such a plan while still
> being
> >>> able to opt out of age verification?
> >>>
> >>> On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 12:48=E2=80=AFPM Marco Trevisan <
> >> [email protected]>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> On decryption, I don't think we've to create another specific
> >>>> implementation for this.
> >>>>
> >>>> What we all need (pretty desperately TBH, and for many things that
> >>>> goes from authentication systems up to proper keyrings and password
> >>>> managers) it's a proper secure enclave in the linux systems using
> >>>> Virtualization-Based Security (VBS).
> >>>>
> >>>> There are already some implementations for the Linux kernel on which
> >>>> both MS and Amazon are working, and I feel that we should ensure tha=
t
> >>>> the ecosystem is ready for that.
> >>>>
> >>>> See:
> >>>>
> >>
> https://www.iinuwa.xyz/blog/linux-passkeys-update/#hardening-platform-aut=
henticator-credential-access
> >>>>
> >>>> Cheers
> >>>>
> >>>> Il giorno dom 8 mar 2026 alle ore 16:21 Personal (disroot.org) via
> >>>> ubuntu-devel <[email protected]> ha scritto:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 4 Mar 2026 05:12:31 FloofyWolf <[email protected]>:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Recently, a proposal has been made to implement an API for a new
> >>>>>> California censorship regulation, =E2=80=9COn the unfortunate need=
 for an
> "age
> >>>>>> verification" API for legal compliance reasons in some U.S. states=
=E2=80=9D
> by
> >>>>>> Aaron Rainbolt.  I believe the approach outlined to be very
> >>>>>> short-sighted, in that creating a bespoke API for each of the
> hundreds
> >>>>>> of government censorship requirements that debian will presumably
> now
> >>>>>> be following will result in much duplication of effort and an
> >>>>>> unreliable user experience in which important censorship
> restrictions
> >>>>>> may be missed and not implemented.  As such, with people now
> >> supporting
> >>>>>> the idea that debian should implement government censorship
> requests,
> >>>>>> even creating new standards if needed, I propose the creation of a
> >>>>>> censorship framework to speed implementation of current and future
> >>>>>> censorship regulations.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> On installation, the user will be required to enter their location=
.
> >>>>>> This information may be pre-filled if device location (GPS) or oth=
er
> >>>>>> sources of location data (IP geolocation, selected timezone, etc)
> are
> >>>>>> available.  If the user enters a location that does not match any
> >>>>>> gathered location data, this will be immediately stored and sent t=
o
> >>>>>> authorities in both the detected location and the entered location
> to
> >>>>>> alert them of a citizen potentially trying to evade censorship
> >>>>>> regulations.  If the location entered requires further information=
,
> >>>>>> such as whether an encryption license has been acquired, the user=
=E2=80=99s
> >>>>>> age, etc, it will be requested at this point.  This process will
> also
> >>>>>> be repeated every time a user account is created, and will require
> >>>>>> implementation in both graphic and text-based account management
> >>>>>> utilities, such as adduser.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> This location and user data will be managed by a new daemon,
> >>>>>> systemd-censord, and stored in an encrypted form and otherwise
> >>>>>> protected so as not to be readable or modifiable by any user on th=
e
> >>>>>> system.  To ensure privacy, great care must be taken to prevent a
> user
> >>>>>> from being able to access other users=E2=80=99 personal informatio=
n, and to
> >>>>>> ensure compliance with censorship regulations, no user may be able
> to
> >>>>>> change their location in any fashion which bypasses dedicated
> >>>>>> utilities, which will perform the required location validation and
> >>>>>> discrepancy authority notice functions when the user requests to
> >> change
> >>>>>> their location, such as for moving house or travel.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Systemd units will be created for every desired censorship functio=
n,
> >>>>>> and will be started based on the user=E2=80=99s location.  For exa=
mple, a
> unit
> >>>>>> for Kazakhstan will implement the government-required backdoor, a
> unit
> >>>>>> for China will implement keyword scans and web access blocks (more
> on
> >>>>>> this later), a unit for Florida will ban all packages with =E2=80=
=9Ctrans=E2=80=9D
> in
> >>>>>> the name (201 packages in current stable distribution), a unit for
> >>>>>> Oklahoma will ensure all educational software is compliant with th=
e
> >>>>>> Christian Holy Bible, a unit for the entire United States will
> prevent
> >>>>>> installation of any program capable of decoding DVD or BluRay medi=
a,
> >>>>>> and a unit for California will provide the user=E2=80=99s age to a=
ll
> >>>>>> applications and all web sites from which applications may be
> >>>>>> downloaded.  As can be seen, multiple units may be started for a
> given
> >>>>>> location.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> All communication will be over D-Bus, with each application
> >> proactively
> >>>>>> asking systemd-censord for permission to perform any operations
> which
> >>>>>> may foreseeably be restricted anywhere in the world.  A standardiz=
ed
> >>>>>> list of permissions will need to be developed, as well as standard
> >>>>>> personal data fields, such as user age.  Blobs for the storage of
> >> media
> >>>>>> player keys and digital rights management content could also be
> added
> >>>>>> as additional functionality.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Since keyword scanning and web filtering are extremely common
> >>>>>> government interests, a dedicated daemon for this function should =
be
> >>>>>> created, with kernel hooks to allow inspection of all internal
> program
> >>>>>> structures as well as internet traffic.  This daemon can then be
> >>>>>> started with different filter configuration files for each systemd
> >> unit
> >>>>>> triggered by the user=E2=80=99s location.  To comply with book ban=
s common
> in
> >>>>>> many US states, such as those restricting access to books on
> >>>>>> LGBTQ[[:alnum:]]* topics or having non-white characters, this modu=
le
> >>>>>> should also automatically search the filesystem for prohibited ebo=
ok
> >>>>>> files.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Many packages will need to be altered to include specific
> >> functionality
> >>>>>> relevant to censorship, including dpkg.  For example, installing t=
or
> >>>>>> will be prohibited in many countries, and some packages, like
> >>>>>> fortunes-off, will be restricted based on the user=E2=80=99s age, =
as will
> most
> >>>>>> games.  Web browsers will have to be patched to send the user=E2=
=80=99s age
> to
> >>>>>> all websites hosting applications for download.  Encryption packag=
es
> >>>>>> will have to check if a systemd unit limiting encryption strength =
is
> >>>>>> running, and set their maximum key length, disable features, or se=
nd
> >>>>>> private keys to a specified IP address determined by the unit.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> To prevent users from bypassing censorship requirements, debian wi=
ll
> >>>>>> need to switch to being a binary-only distribution with signed
> >>>>>> binaries, signed kernel, and signed kernel modules, with mandatory
> >>>>>> secureboot, and controls to prevent any non-signed software from
> being
> >>>>>> installed, written, or compiled, as any foreign sources of softwar=
e
> >> may
> >>>>>> fail to query systemd-censord or may fail to respect the permissio=
ns
> >> it
> >>>>>> returns.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> On the non-software side, the debian licenses will need to be
> modified
> >>>>>> to disallow removal or alteration of any of these features by
> >>>>>> derivative distributions =E2=80=93 for example, no distribution wi=
ll be
> >> allowed
> >>>>>> to ship without systemd because then systemd-censord may not work
> >>>>>> correctly.  In addition, the licenses for all packaged software wi=
ll
> >>>>>> need to be amended to disallow removal of censorship functionality=
.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> As I=E2=80=99m sure is obvious, if debian is going to comply with =
government
> >>>>>> censorship regulations, a universal framework allowing easy additi=
on
> >> of
> >>>>>> new rules will greatly reduce developer time over individual ad-ho=
c
> >>>>>> implementations of each new freedom restriction.  Complying with
> only
> >>>>>> one regulation, such as California=E2=80=99s attempts to prevent m=
inors from
> >>>>>> accessing unapproved information, makes no sense when there=E2=80=
=99s
> hundreds
> >>>>>> or thousands of other regulations not currently being complied wit=
h.
> >>>>>> This framework should ensure all users get to experience their ful=
l
> >>>>>> censorship regime no matter where they are in the world.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks for reading, and I hope we can work together to help Linux
> >>>>>> implement as much censorship as possible!
> >>>>>> --Floofy Wolf
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Nice work!
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I would agree with encrypting systemd-censord, but *how* to decrypt
> >> it, I
> >>>>> have an idea for. It requires /etc/machine-id, AppArmor or SELinux,
> >> FDE,
> >>>>> and a new *specially* compiled kernel module. Feel free to critique
> it
> >>>>> and give me new ideas.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Starting off, /etc/machine-id is generated upon new installations
> with
> >>>>> systemd-firstboot, and it is unique to all systems. This means it c=
an
> >> be
> >>>>> used as a shared key along with a unique salt to prevent rainbow
> table
> >>>>> attacks. This would be pretty bad for anyone to see publicly, so no=
w
> we
> >>>>> have to come up with a solution.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> My solution to this is FDE with TPM2, a kernel module, and an MAC.
> >>>>> Firstly, all systems must have FDE with TPM2 from hereon. Any syste=
m
> >> that
> >>>>> hasn't had it before is now an unsupported configuration. Secondly,
> the
> >>>>> new kernel module is included in the initramfs so that it can start
> >>>>> reading /etc/machine-id after root is mounted, but before any MAC c=
an
> >> do
> >>>>> anything to prevent it from being seen. Finally, the kernel module
> >>>>> decrypts systemd-censord using the machine-id and salt, runs it, an=
d
> >>>>> encrypts it again. For good measure, AppArmor or SELinux would hide
> >>>>> systemd-censord and the kernel modules.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This is not fully concrete, but I believe this is a starting point.=
 I
> >> am
> >>>>> fully open to other ideas.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Cheers,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> Artur Manuel
> >>>>> amadaluzia
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> ubuntu-devel mailing list
> >>>>> [email protected]
> >>>>> Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> >>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jamie Null (They/Them)
> >> E: [email protected]
> >>
> >> Attn: Key EC31 8C72 C7CB 900E A0FC is revoked as of 2026-01-29T08:30Z.
> >>
> >> "A person cannot be made to suffer a grossly disproportionate punishme=
nt
> >> simply to send a message to discourage others from offending." =E2=80=
=94 R v.
> >> Nur, 2015 SCC 15, [2015] 1 S.C.R. 773, per McLachlin CJ, at para 45
> >>
> >>
> >
>
> --
> Jamie Null (They/Them)
> E: [email protected]
>
> Attn: Key EC31 8C72 C7CB 900E A0FC is revoked as of 2026-01-29T08:30Z.
>
> "Rule 1.03 defines plaintiff as 'a person who commences an action'. The
> New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines person as 'an individual
> human being'. [...] The entire basis of Mr. Joly's actions is that he is
> a martian, not a human being. [...] I conclude therefore, that Mr. Joly,
> on his pleading as drafted, has no status before the Court." =E2=80=94 Jo=
ly v
> Pelletier, [1999] OJ No 1728, 1999 CarswellOnt 1587, at para 11
>
>

--0000000000006d959e064d406ed7
Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<div dir=3D"auto">As long as the API doesn&#39;t get as much encryption as =
Fort Knox, I should be able to find a way to disable it.</div><br><div clas=
s=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_att=
r">On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 5:02=E2=80=AFPM Jamie Null &lt;[email protected]&=
gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0=
 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Fair enough. I would ass=
ume you can patch out all the age verification<br>
stuff.<br>
<br>
To be honest I would be damned if the Projects actually end up<br>
implementing age verification because three jurisdictions asked them to<br>
do so. It would also establish some sort of precedence for non-western<br>
countries known for mass surveillance (such as China or the DPRK) to<br>
make similar demands.<br>
<br>
-- Jamie<br>
<br>
On 2026-03-17 14:56, Adenix NPSP wrote:<br>
&gt; What I&#39;m trying to do is gather the info I need to prevent Adenosi=
neOS 8<br>
&gt; from being the first version with age verification.<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 4:48=E2=80=AFPM Jamie Null &lt;[email protected]=
h&gt; wrote:<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt;&gt; I&#39;m going to hope that this is all satire.<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; -- Jamie<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; On 2026-03-17 14:00, Adenix NPSP wrote:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt; Will there be a way for developers of &quot;ageless&quot; linu=
x distros (linux<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt; distros without age verification) to handle such a plan while =
still being<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt; able to opt out of age verification?<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt; On Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 12:48=E2=80=AFPM Marco Trevisan &lt;<br>
&gt;&gt; <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank" =
rel=3D"noreferrer">[email protected]</a>&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt; wrote:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; On decryption, I don&#39;t think we&#39;ve to create anoth=
er specific<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; implementation for this.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; What we all need (pretty desperately TBH, and for many thi=
ngs that<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; goes from authentication systems up to proper keyrings and=
 password<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; managers) it&#39;s a proper secure enclave in the linux sy=
stems using<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Virtualization-Based Security (VBS).<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; There are already some implementations for the Linux kerne=
l on which<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; both MS and Amazon are working, and I feel that we should =
ensure that<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; the ecosystem is ready for that.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; See:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; <a href=3D"https://www.iinuwa.xyz/blog/linux-passkeys-update/#hard=
ening-platform-authenticator-credential-access" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferre=
r" target=3D"_blank">https://www.iinuwa.xyz/blog/linux-passkeys-update/#har=
dening-platform-authenticator-credential-access</a><br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Cheers<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Il giorno dom 8 mar 2026 alle ore 16:21 Personal (<a href=
=3D"http://disroot.org" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">dis=
root.org</a>) via<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; ubuntu-devel &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]=
tu.com" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noreferrer">[email protected]<=
/a>&gt; ha scritto:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; 4 Mar 2026 05:12:31 FloofyWolf &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:d=
[email protected]" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noreferrer">debia=
[email protected]</a>&gt;:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Recently, a proposal has been made to implement an=
 API for a new<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; California censorship regulation, =E2=80=9COn the =
unfortunate need for an &quot;age<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; verification&quot; API for legal compliance reason=
s in some U.S. states=E2=80=9D by<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Aaron Rainbolt.=C2=A0 I believe the approach outli=
ned to be very<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; short-sighted, in that creating a bespoke API for =
each of the hundreds<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; of government censorship requirements that debian =
will presumably now<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; be following will result in much duplication of ef=
fort and an<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; unreliable user experience in which important cens=
orship restrictions<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; may be missed and not implemented.=C2=A0 As such, =
with people now<br>
&gt;&gt; supporting<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; the idea that debian should implement government c=
ensorship requests,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; even creating new standards if needed, I propose t=
he creation of a<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; censorship framework to speed implementation of cu=
rrent and future<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; censorship regulations.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; On installation, the user will be required to ente=
r their location.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; This information may be pre-filled if device locat=
ion (GPS) or other<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; sources of location data (IP geolocation, selected=
 timezone, etc) are<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; available.=C2=A0 If the user enters a location tha=
t does not match any<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; gathered location data, this will be immediately s=
tored and sent to<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; authorities in both the detected location and the =
entered location to<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; alert them of a citizen potentially trying to evad=
e censorship<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; regulations.=C2=A0 If the location entered require=
s further information,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; such as whether an encryption license has been acq=
uired, the user=E2=80=99s<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; age, etc, it will be requested at this point.=C2=
=A0 This process will also<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; be repeated every time a user account is created, =
and will require<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; implementation in both graphic and text-based acco=
unt management<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; utilities, such as adduser.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; This location and user data will be managed by a n=
ew daemon,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; systemd-censord, and stored in an encrypted form a=
nd otherwise<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; protected so as not to be readable or modifiable b=
y any user on the<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; system.=C2=A0 To ensure privacy, great care must b=
e taken to prevent a user<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; from being able to access other users=E2=80=99 per=
sonal information, and to<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; ensure compliance with censorship regulations, no =
user may be able to<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; change their location in any fashion which bypasse=
s dedicated<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; utilities, which will perform the required locatio=
n validation and<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; discrepancy authority notice functions when the us=
er requests to<br>
&gt;&gt; change<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; their location, such as for moving house or travel=
.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Systemd units will be created for every desired ce=
nsorship function,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; and will be started based on the user=E2=80=99s lo=
cation.=C2=A0 For example, a unit<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; for Kazakhstan will implement the government-requi=
red backdoor, a unit<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; for China will implement keyword scans and web acc=
ess blocks (more on<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; this later), a unit for Florida will ban all packa=
ges with =E2=80=9Ctrans=E2=80=9D in<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; the name (201 packages in current stable distribut=
ion), a unit for<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Oklahoma will ensure all educational software is c=
ompliant with the<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Christian Holy Bible, a unit for the entire United=
 States will prevent<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; installation of any program capable of decoding DV=
D or BluRay media,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; and a unit for California will provide the user=E2=
=80=99s age to all<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; applications and all web sites from which applicat=
ions may be<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; downloaded.=C2=A0 As can be seen, multiple units m=
ay be started for a given<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; location.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; All communication will be over D-Bus, with each ap=
plication<br>
&gt;&gt; proactively<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; asking systemd-censord for permission to perform a=
ny operations which<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; may foreseeably be restricted anywhere in the worl=
d.=C2=A0 A standardized<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; list of permissions will need to be developed, as =
well as standard<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; personal data fields, such as user age.=C2=A0 Blob=
s for the storage of<br>
&gt;&gt; media<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; player keys and digital rights management content =
could also be added<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; as additional functionality.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Since keyword scanning and web filtering are extre=
mely common<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; government interests, a dedicated daemon for this =
function should be<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; created, with kernel hooks to allow inspection of =
all internal program<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; structures as well as internet traffic.=C2=A0 This=
 daemon can then be<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; started with different filter configuration files =
for each systemd<br>
&gt;&gt; unit<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; triggered by the user=E2=80=99s location.=C2=A0 To=
 comply with book bans common in<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; many US states, such as those restricting access t=
o books on<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; LGBTQ[[:alnum:]]* topics or having non-white chara=
cters, this module<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; should also automatically search the filesystem fo=
r prohibited ebook<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; files.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Many packages will need to be altered to include s=
pecific<br>
&gt;&gt; functionality<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; relevant to censorship, including dpkg.=C2=A0 For =
example, installing tor<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; will be prohibited in many countries, and some pac=
kages, like<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; fortunes-off, will be restricted based on the user=
=E2=80=99s age, as will most<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; games.=C2=A0 Web browsers will have to be patched =
to send the user=E2=80=99s age to<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; all websites hosting applications for download.=C2=
=A0 Encryption packages<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; will have to check if a systemd unit limiting encr=
yption strength is<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; running, and set their maximum key length, disable=
 features, or send<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; private keys to a specified IP address determined =
by the unit.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; To prevent users from bypassing censorship require=
ments, debian will<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; need to switch to being a binary-only distribution=
 with signed<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; binaries, signed kernel, and signed kernel modules=
, with mandatory<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; secureboot, and controls to prevent any non-signed=
 software from being<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; installed, written, or compiled, as any foreign so=
urces of software<br>
&gt;&gt; may<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; fail to query systemd-censord or may fail to respe=
ct the permissions<br>
&gt;&gt; it<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; returns.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; On the non-software side, the debian licenses will=
 need to be modified<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; to disallow removal or alteration of any of these =
features by<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; derivative distributions =E2=80=93 for example, no=
 distribution will be<br>
&gt;&gt; allowed<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; to ship without systemd because then systemd-censo=
rd may not work<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; correctly.=C2=A0 In addition, the licenses for all=
 packaged software will<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; need to be amended to disallow removal of censorsh=
ip functionality.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; As I=E2=80=99m sure is obvious, if debian is going=
 to comply with government<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; censorship regulations, a universal framework allo=
wing easy addition<br>
&gt;&gt; of<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; new rules will greatly reduce developer time over =
individual ad-hoc<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; implementations of each new freedom restriction.=
=C2=A0 Complying with only<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; one regulation, such as California=E2=80=99s attem=
pts to prevent minors from<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; accessing unapproved information, makes no sense w=
hen there=E2=80=99s hundreds<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; or thousands of other regulations not currently be=
ing complied with.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; This framework should ensure all users get to expe=
rience their full<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; censorship regime no matter where they are in the =
world.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Thanks for reading, and I hope we can work togethe=
r to help Linux<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; implement as much censorship as possible!<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; --Floofy Wolf<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Nice work!<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; I would agree with encrypting systemd-censord, but *ho=
w* to decrypt<br>
&gt;&gt; it, I<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; have an idea for. It requires /etc/machine-id, AppArmo=
r or SELinux,<br>
&gt;&gt; FDE,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; and a new *specially* compiled kernel module. Feel fre=
e to critique it<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; and give me new ideas.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Starting off, /etc/machine-id is generated upon new in=
stallations with<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; systemd-firstboot, and it is unique to all systems. Th=
is means it can<br>
&gt;&gt; be<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; used as a shared key along with a unique salt to preve=
nt rainbow table<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; attacks. This would be pretty bad for anyone to see pu=
blicly, so now we<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; have to come up with a solution.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; My solution to this is FDE with TPM2, a kernel module,=
 and an MAC.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Firstly, all systems must have FDE with TPM2 from here=
on. Any system<br>
&gt;&gt; that<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; hasn&#39;t had it before is now an unsupported configu=
ration. Secondly, the<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; new kernel module is included in the initramfs so that=
 it can start<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; reading /etc/machine-id after root is mounted, but bef=
ore any MAC can<br>
&gt;&gt; do<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; anything to prevent it from being seen. Finally, the k=
ernel module<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; decrypts systemd-censord using the machine-id and salt=
, runs it, and<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; encrypts it again. For good measure, AppArmor or SELin=
ux would hide<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; systemd-censord and the kernel modules.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; This is not fully concrete, but I believe this is a st=
arting point. I<br>
&gt;&gt; am<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; fully open to other ideas.<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Cheers,<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; --<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Artur Manuel<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; amadaluzia<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; --<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; ubuntu-devel mailing list<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" targe=
t=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noreferrer">[email protected]</a><br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; Modify settings or unsubscribe at:<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href=3D"https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubunt=
u-devel" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://lists.ubun=
tu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel</a><br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; --<br>
&gt;&gt; Jamie Null (They/Them)<br>
&gt;&gt; E: [email protected]<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; Attn: Key EC31 8C72 C7CB 900E A0FC is revoked as of 2026-01-29T08:=
30Z.<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt; &quot;A person cannot be made to suffer a grossly disproportionate=
 punishment<br>
&gt;&gt; simply to send a message to discourage others from offending.&quot=
; =E2=80=94 R v.<br>
&gt;&gt; Nur, 2015 SCC 15, [2015] 1 S.C.R. 773, per McLachlin CJ, at para 4=
5<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt;&gt;<br>
&gt; <br>
<br>
-- <br>
Jamie Null (They/Them)<br>
E: [email protected]<br>
<br>
Attn: Key EC31 8C72 C7CB 900E A0FC is revoked as of 2026-01-29T08:30Z.<br>
<br>
&quot;Rule 1.03 defines plaintiff as &#39;a person who commences an action&=
#39;. The<br>
New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines person as &#39;an individual<=
br>
human being&#39;. [...] The entire basis of Mr. Joly&#39;s actions is that =
he is<br>
a martian, not a human being. [...] I conclude therefore, that Mr. Joly,<br=
>
on his pleading as drafted, has no status before the Court.&quot; =E2=80=94=
 Joly v<br>
Pelletier, [1999] OJ No 1728, 1999 CarswellOnt 1587, at para 11<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div>

--0000000000006d959e064d406ed7--