Goodbye Bikesheds: Why Age Verification Signals the End of FOSS

Goodbye, and Thanks for All the Bikesheds

In my final Bikeshed column, I reflect on the limits of LLM-assisted code reviews and argue that mandatory age verification marks the beginning of the end for Free and Open Source Software. While tech bros champion absolute privacy, governments are pushing back, forcing a shift toward cryptographically attested platforms where users cannot modify source code. This move toward accountability and digital sovereignty will likely fragment the Internet and restrict the very freedom that defined FOSS.

"We could have designed our protocols to be minimally compatible with a nation of laws, but the tech bros insisted that compromise was treason, and, as a result, we will lose more privacy than necessary."