Is there a known date before which this wasn’t the case?

If you want to buy a car that doesn’t have such a device, do you need a 2010? A 2019? Country dependent?

I honestly have no idea the exacts. But I know some cars have it even since 2003.

90s cars are the sweet spot where electronic fuel injection and emissions controls were mature enough to be reliable and having minimal complexity. It's mostly downhill from there.

You're more likely to be maimed or killed in a crash though

https://jalopnik.com/let-s-watch-cars-from-the-90s-crash-184...

I'm less likely to get into one in the first place, because I can actually see out of the damn car.