A new system manager option based on a fork of systemd has been developed with a focus on eliminating code that could potentially be used for spying on users. The creator of this fork aims to ensure that the codebase remains aligned with the main branch of the systemd repository.
Currently, the changes made to this fork involve the removal of a recent addition to systemd that included a “birthDate” field in the user database, as well as a utility option called “–birth-date” in the homectl tool for setting age.
The decision to store age information in the user database was explained as a preparation for the integration of APIs for age verification mandated by laws in certain US states and Brazil. The new field can be utilized in the development of the xdg-desktop-portal and the AccountsService to provide applications with details about the user’s age category through D-Bus interfaces.
Furthermore, there has been a statement from GrapheneOS regarding this development, emphasizing the importance of user privacy and security in system management.