Google says new Australian internet safety bill could cut off under-18s from Gmail
Google says a proposed Australian internet safety law could require it to block under-18s from Gmail and other everyday services. The bill would allow fines of up to A$109 million for companies that fail to address harmful content.
1. Bill advances in Australia
Australia’s Digital Duty of Care legislation has passed the House of Representatives and needs cross-party support to pass the Senate. It would require internet companies to show they are taking steps to weed out harmful content or face fines of up to A$109 million ($75.1 million).
2. Google warns of age checks
At a Senate hearing, Rachel Lord, Google’s head of policy in Australia and New Zealand, said a provision requiring age checks when children risk seeing pornography could require age assurance and block access to messaging, email and private file storage. She said the checks could involve intrusive monitoring of private communications or storage. Representatives from Meta, TikTok and Snap also warned that broad regulatory discretion could lead platforms to over-moderate content. The government says broad rules are needed to ensure a safe internet.
