Google Says an Age-Check Clause in Australia’s Safety Bill Could Reach Gmail 

Google told an Australian Senate hearing on Monday that a section of the Digital Duty of Care bill could force it to check ages and block under-18s from Gmail, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. 

The bill has passed the House of Representatives and needs the Senate. It would require online companies to act on harm before it happens, with fines up to A$109 million. 

Google’s concern is one clause aimed at adult content that, as drafted, has no exemption for email or messaging. 

Nothing is law yet, and the government says broad rules are needed for a safer internet.

Google Says One Clause Could Reach Gmail, Messaging and File Storage

Rachel Lord, a Google policy executive, said the age-check section “could require us to age-assure and block access to everyday communication services,” per Reuters. 

The section applies to any online service where a child could reasonably be expected to encounter sexual or fetish material. 

Where technically feasible and reasonably practicable, companies must offer at least two ways to check a user’s age and keep anyone not verified as an adult away from that material. 

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson asked whether Google was warning that Gmail and Google Drive could be forced to introduce age checks and scan private emails, messages and files. 

Lord answered yes, the Herald reports, but Google wants the clause limited to services whose sole or main purpose is distributing online material.

The Actual Dispute Is the Gap

The text of the bill does not actually go as far as Google claims. It never explicitly says under-18s must be blocked from an entire service. 

Google’s point is that, without a clear exemption, the rule could easily be expanded to cover products it was never meant to target.

A drafting change feeds the worry. The Herald reports that an earlier September draft allowed companies to consider user privacy, but that protection was dropped from the final version, which also rules out cost as an excuse. 

Lord said Google is “a bit confused about why it’s been removed.” 

Henderson called the bill deeply flawed. His concern matches broader tech lawsuits arguing that vague safety laws force platforms to change how their products are built. 

Teen Inboxes Stay as They Are Until the Senate Votes and a 12-Month Clock Runs

For now, nothing about Gmail changes in Australia. The Senate committee is due to report by November 20, and Wells wants the bill passed by the end of the year. 

The duty would begin 12 months after it becomes law, so by our arithmetic the earliest effect would land around the end of 2027. 

None of the reports we read records a direct government reply to the Gmail point, and none says how age assurance would work for email. 

Meta, TikTok and Snap told the committee that broad definitions of harm could give regulators wide discretion and push platforms to over-moderate, Gulf News adds. 

So, Google’s complaint is about drafting breadth, not intent. A clause written with adult material in mind reaches email only because nothing in the text excludes it, so the committee’s report on November 20 will show whether that gap gets closed.

Source: Teens could be locked out of Gmail under safety bill, Google warns