Age verification is a non-goal

Merge pull request #29 from aarmea/u/aarmea/fix/nvidia
Always pass `--unsupported-gpu` to Sway
2026-03-04 22:46:23 -05:00 · 2026-02-14 23:03:15 -05:00 · 2026-02-14 22:26:10 -05:00 · 2026-02-08 14:24:25 -05:00
3 changed files with 33 additions and 5 deletions
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@ -84,9 +84,37 @@ If it can run on Linux in *any way, shape, or form*, it can be supervised by

 ## Non-goals

-* Modifying or patching third-party applications
-* Circumventing DRM or platform protections
-* Replacing parental involvement with automation
+1. Modifying or patching third-party applications
+2. Circumventing DRM or platform protections
+3. Replacing parental involvement with automation or third-party content moderation
+4. Remotely monitoring users with telemetry
+5. Collecting, storing, or reporting personally identifying information (PII)
+
+### Regarding age verification
+
+`shepherd-launcher` may be considered "operating system software" under the
+[Digital Age Assurance Act][age-california] and similar legislation,
+and therefore subject to an age verification requirement.
+
+[age-california]: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043
+
+As legislated, such requirements are fundamentally incompatible with non-goals 3, 4, and 5.
+
+`shepherd-launcher` will *never* collect telemetry or PII, and as such, it will never implement this type of age verification.
+
+As a result, `shepherd-launcher` is not licensed for use in any region that requires OS-level age verification by law.
+**If you reside in any such region, you may not download, install, or redistribute `shepherd-launcher`.**
+
+This includes, but is not limited to:
+
+* California
+* Louisiana
+* Texas
+* Utah
+
+[Many other states are considering similar legislation.](https://actonline.org/2025/01/14/the-abcs-of-age-verification-in-the-united-states/)
+
+If you disagree with this assessment and you reside in an affected region, **please contact your representatives.**

 ## Installation

--- a/scripts/lib/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/lib/install.sh
@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ install_desktop_entry() {
 [Desktop Entry]
 Name=Shepherd Kiosk
 Comment=Shepherd game launcher kiosk mode
-Exec=sway -c $SWAY_CONFIG_DIR/$SHEPHERD_SWAY_CONFIG
+Exec=sway -c $SWAY_CONFIG_DIR/$SHEPHERD_SWAY_CONFIG --unsupported-gpu
 Type=Application
 DesktopNames=shepherd
 EOF
--- a/scripts/lib/sway.sh
+++ b/scripts/lib/sway.sh
@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ sway_start_nested() {
    trap sway_cleanup EXIT
    
    # Start sway with wayland backend (nested in current session)
-    WLR_BACKENDS=wayland WLR_LIBINPUT_NO_DEVICES=1 sway -c "$sway_config" &
+    WLR_BACKENDS=wayland WLR_LIBINPUT_NO_DEVICES=1 sway -c "$sway_config" --unsupported-gpu &
    SWAY_PID=$!
    
    info "Sway started with PID $SWAY_PID"
Author	SHA1	Message	Date
Albert Armea	f7ae46cda2	Age verification is a non-goal	2026-03-04 22:46:23 -05:00
Albert Armea	873560bdeb	Merge pull request #29 from aarmea/u/aarmea/fix/nvidia Always pass `--unsupported-gpu` to Sway	2026-02-14 23:03:15 -05:00
Albert Armea	d3cd4a9015	Always pass `--unsupported-gpu` to Sway On NVIDIA GPUs, this allows the launcher to come up at all. If it is not provided, Sway will exit immediately after printing a warning to the journal. This can be very hard to debug if you don't know what you're looking for. On other GPUs, including those that play nice with Linux like Intel and AMD, the option is completely harmless.	2026-02-14 22:26:10 -05:00
Albert Armea	af10a1ca19	Merge pull request #28 from aarmea/u/aarmea/20/keyboard-gamepad-2 Add keyboard and gamepad launch support	2026-02-08 14:24:25 -05:00