Episode 470 Show Notes
Welcome to mintCast
the Podcast by the Linux Mint Community for All Users of Linux
This is Episode 470!
Recorded on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
Lost in another reality I’m Charles, having a day I’m Joe; Late to the show, I’m Bill; re-living my youth, I’m Majid; comfortable in a Lawnchair, I’m Jim
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- First up in the news: LMDE 7 ‘Gigi” release imminent, Mint Monthly News, Ubuntu 25.10 is out and breaking stuff, Firefox shaking is loved by TIME, Windows 10 is officially dead and lots more!
- In security and privacy: Charles has some interesting news on AI and new laws in Spain
- And finally, the feedback and a couple of suggestions
- Please remember if you want to follow along with our discussions, the full show notes for this episode are linked in the show’s description at mintcast.org/show-notes
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The News
20 minutes
- LMDE 7 Release Imminent
- The ISO for LMDE 7 was approved for Stable Release on Friday (Oct 10) and will be officially released within the within the next day or two.
- “Release Notes for LMDE 7”
- LMDE 7 introduces several new features, including a refined Cinnamon desktop environment, improved hardware support with the Linux 6.12 kernel, and a new fingerprint authentication app called Fingwit. It also enhances user experience with updates to core applications and a redesigned login screen.
- Debian 13 Base: LMDE 7 is built on Debian 13 “Trixie,” ensuring stability and access to the latest Debian packages, with Linux Kernel 6.12
- The login interface features blur effects for a modern look, and avatar support
- A new app called Fingwit allows users to set up fingerprint authentication for added security.
- APT 3.0: This version includes a new Solver3 dependency resolver, enhancing package management efficiency.
- Mint Monthly News – September 2025 The next version of Cinnamon will feature improved support for keyboard layouts and input methods. This new support is fully compatible with Wayland for both traditional layouts and IBus input methods. The on-screen keyboard (OSK) will no longer rely on libcaribou but be implemented natively by Cinnamon. The Cinnamon application menu was redesigned and given a new layout. It features a sidebar with sections for your avatar, places and favorite applications.
- Ubuntu 25.10 released, and breaks flatpaks! -Majid
- Ubuntu Linux 26.04 LTS Officially Named Resolute Raccoon (Jim)
- Cosmic Beta released – Majid
- Mozilla Firefox is about to add an important feature other browsers have had for years: Profile Management (Bill)
- Mozilla Firefox Shake To Summarize feature gets special mention in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 (Jim)
- Opera Wants You To Pay $19.90 a Month for Its New AI Browser (Jim)
- Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google’s New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy (Jim)
- Open Source Android Repository F-Droid Says Google’s New Rules Will Shut It Down (Bill)
- Amazon Ditches Android — Launches ‘Linux-Based’ Vega OS for Fire TV (Joe)
- The company built Vega OS using some Linux components as its foundation, though specific technical details remain sparse.
- What to Expect: The most significant change for prospective users is the elimination of sideloading capabilities on Vega OS devices.
- Unlike Android-based Fire TV devices, Vega OS only permits app installations from the Amazon Appstore. Amazon explicitly states on the Fire TV Stick 4K Select listing: “For enhanced security, only apps from the Amazon Appstore are available for download.”
- TiVo Exiting Legacy DVR Business (Jim)*
- California Law Forces Netflix, Hulu To Turn Down Ad Volumes (Joe)
- Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law banning excessively loud advertisements on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime that could become a de facto national standard. From a report:The new California law is aimed at addressing what the Federal Communications Commission has called a “troubling jump” in TV ad noise complaints, fueled by streamers airing commercials louder than the shows and movies they accompany.
- It’s modeled off a federal law passed in 2010 that caps ad volumes on cable and broadcast TV, but doesn’t apply to streaming services. Given the Golden State’s massive sway in the entertainment industry, the new law may strong-arm streamers into shushing commercials nationwide. “We heard Californians loud and clear, and what’s clear is that they don’t want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.”
- Windows 10 support ends on October 14, 2025 (Charles)
- PC Sales Explode In Q3 As Windows 11 Deadlines Force Millions To Upgrade (Charles)
- Microsoft Is Plugging More Holes That Let You Use Windows 11 Without an Online Account (Jim)
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AI
Charles
AI for America – “A Roadmap to Make AI Work for All Americans, Not Just Big Companies”
Talking Points:
Senator Mark Kelly Arizona
A law maker looking at AI from a consumer protection point of view.
Early discussion and planning should start now AI tech corps and government should start building a fund to support displaced workers. A typical response to this will be “oh no this is socialism” my response is so what, this is for the greater good of society.
It’s a lie and con to say that displaced workers will find “other jobs” some will but many others won’t. The reason for this there will be limited amount of new jobs for displaced workers to obtain because of the population growth, more workers competing for limited “new jobs”
Security and Privacy
- Charles
- Spain’s New age Verification
https://twit.tv/posts/tech/can-online-age-verification-work-without-exposing-your-identity
A new age verification system being rolled out in Spain—and based on EU standards—is proving it’s possible to verify user age for restricted content online without exposing personal identity or tracking users. On Security Now, Steve Gibson explained that this privacy-focused approach may become a model for responsible age regulation across the web.
Spain is launching a digital age verification solution that uses “verifiable credentials”—a set of cryptographically signed digital documents that can confirm facts (like age) without revealing sensitive user details such as names, addresses, or full birth dates. The system is being implemented to comply with new laws requiring that access to adult or age-restricted content be limited to those who can prove they are old enough.
According to Steve Gibson on Security Now,
Spain’s solution utilizes technology developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for “verifiable credentials.” These are secure files that confirm the holder meets age requirements. The credentials are issued by trusted authorities (such as national governments), are stored privately on a user’s device, and can be independently verified by any website without sending identifying information to the site itself.
The core of this technology is privacy by design. Instead of exposing your identity—even to the website you’re visiting—the credential only asserts that you meet the age requirement, and nothing else. The credential is stored in a secure app on the user’s device (like a smartphone). When a website requests age verification, the user simply scans a QR code and approves the action using a PIN or, optionally, their device’s biometrics.
Websites never see names, full legal IDs, or other details—just a confirmation
that the user is “over 18,” for example. There’s also no centralized tracking of where users verify their age, making it nearly impossible to build activity profiles or cross-site records.
Recent laws in the EU, UK, Brazil, and various US states require online services to block minors from accessing mature or restricted content. Self-declaration (“click to confirm you’re 18”) is no longer sufficient under these regulations. Penalties for non-compliance are increasingly severe—for instance, Brazil’s new law includes fines up to nearly $10 million or 10% of a company’s revenue.
The challenge: Most current age checks require users to upload ID documents or credit cards, exposing sensitive information to potentially untrustworthy sites and creating significant privacy and security risks.
How Does the Spanish/EU Approach Work in Practice?
Users download an official age verification app and register their national digital ID (in Spain, every citizen receives one at birth).
The app issues a verifiable credential confirming only that the user is above a certain age.
When accessing a restricted website, the user scans a QR code with the app or responds to a prompt on mobile.
The website receives only a cryptographically verified “Yes, this user is old enough” response.
No other personal information is shared. The app stores credentials locally, and no central database tracks user activity.
This open-source blueprint is being considered as a reference implementation for other EU countries, offering flexibility for different national needs while preserving privacy.
Key Takeaways
Spain’s age verification system is built on privacy-first principles using W3C verifiable credentials.
No personal data (name, birthday, address) is ever shared with websites—only age status.
The system is open source, customizable, and compliant with EU privacy regulations.
Governments are increasingly mandating robust age checks for online content.
Privacy-preserving verification could become the standard, replacing risky practices like uploading IDs or credit cards.
The solution is technically advanced but designed for ease of use, using apps, QR codes, and national digital IDs.
The approach ensures minimal risk of tracking or profiling across websites.
The EU, starting with Spain, is demonstrating that it’s possible to comply with strict age verification laws without sacrificing online privacy or anonymity. As regulation expands globally, privacy-first digital credentials like these are likely to become essential for accessing age-restricted content safely and responsibly.
Stay tuned—this technology may shape digital identification beyond just age verification, setting new standards for privacy, security, and regulatory balance online.
Talking Points:
There is no information about security audits by 3rd party entities.
No data given about the redundancy of the age verification system?
A total lack of transparency on usability for the system, as we know there are and will be usability issues. IE-What is the support framework when users have issues and the system is failing? 1-800-no-one-can-help send an email to spainsageverification@spain.gov
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Linux Wanderings
- Charles
Girlfriends Yahoo email clean up archive Linux Mint think pad, she ran out of space above 20GB limit
Mesh Wireless failure TP Link ACXXXXX
Backup routers configured, documented, labeled and put away for safe keeping.
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Vibrations from the Ether
20 minutes (~5 minutes each)
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Check This Out
10 minutes
Housekeeping & Announcements
- Thank you for listening to this episode of mintCast!
- If you see something that you think we should be talking about, tell us!
Send us email at [email protected]
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- Next Episode – 2 pm US Central time on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Please note both the UK and the EU end DST earlier on this day, so the broadcast times will be one hour different for listeners in Europe.
- Get mintCast converted to your time zone
- Next Saturday we will host a Roundtable Live Stream. Please come and join us using the Discord voice channel at 2 pm US Central time on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
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- Livestream information is at mintcast.org/livestream
Wrap-up
- Joe – Tllts.org, linuxlugcast.com, [email protected], Buy Joe a coffee
- Moss – Full Circle Weekly News, [email protected], Mastodon @[email protected], occasionally on HPR
- Bill – [email protected], Bill_H on Discord, @[email protected] on Mastodon, also checkout the other two podcasts I am on, Linux OTC (with Eric & Majid) and 3 Fat Truckers
- Majid – [email protected] @[email protected], AtypicalDr on Instagram and Threads and The Atypical Doctor Podcast and also Linux OTC.
- Eric – I can be reached by email at [email protected].
- Charles – [email protected], Mr PDX on Discord
- Jim– [email protected], GNU2Linux on Discord, The Linux Shortcut on YouTube
Before we leave, we want to make sure to acknowledge some of the people who make mintCast possible:
- Bill for our audio editing and for hosting the server which runs our website, website maintenance, and the NextCloud server on which we host our show notes and raw audio
- Archive.org for hosting our audio files
- Hobstar for our logo, initrd for the animated Discord logo
- Londoner for our time syncs and various other contributions
- The Linux Mint development team for the fine distro we love to talk about <Thanks, Clem … and co!>
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