Google has warned an Australian Senate committee that a proposed online safety law could require age checks on ordinary services such as email and file storage, according to a report by ID Tech. The Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 has passed the House of Representatives and is now before the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, which must report by 20 November.
The bill would require a wide range of online services to identify and manage foreseeable harms, with mandatory risk assessments and age assurance. Where technically feasible, services that children might reasonably encounter pornography on would have to offer at least two age-checking methods and keep unverified adults restricted. ID Tech notes that the bill does not exempt email or messaging, and that breaches could carry a maximum penalty of A$109 million.
Rachel Lord, a senior manager at YouTube’s government affairs team, told the committee the wording “could require us to age assure and block access to everyday communication services”. Google wants the rule limited to services whose main purpose is distributing pornography, and says privacy should remain a factor in judging compliance. The Computer and Communications Industry Association argued the bill would push platforms to verify every user’s age to reduce legal risk, while Meta, TikTok and Snap said broad definitions of harmful content could give regulators wide discretion.
The Coalition has said it will oppose the bill, so the government needs crossbench votes in the Senate. Communications Minister Anika Wells wants it passed by the end of 2026.
Reporting note: the technology firms quoted have commercial interests in the outcome, and the bill’s effect on email is their reading of its wording. This account relies on one outlet, ID Tech.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
