Google has warned that Australia's proposed Digital Duty of Care legislation could force it to verify users' ages and block people under 18 from Gmail, messaging services and private file storage, raising concerns about the bill's potential impact on everyday online communication.
Rachel Lord, Google's head of policy for Australia and New Zealand, raised the concern during a Senate hearing on Monday, November 9, 2026. She said provisions requiring age checks where children could foreseeably encounter pornography or fetish material could extend beyond websites primarily designed to distribute such content.
The bill has already passed the House of Representatives but still requires Senate approval before it can become law. It would require online service providers to take reasonable steps to prevent harmful material and conduct from reaching users, with companies facing penalties of up to A$109.2 million for non-compliance.
Under the disputed provision, services where children could reasonably be exposed to pornography or fetish material may have to provide at least two age-verification methods, where technically feasible and reasonably practicable. Users who cannot be verified as adults would have to be prevented from accessing the material.
Google argues that the wording could require age assurance across services such as email, messaging and private file storage. Lord warned that implementing the requirements could involve intrusive monitoring of private communications and files. The company wants the age-check rules restricted to services whose primary purpose is distributing pornographic material.
The proposed law does not explicitly require platforms to exclude teenagers from entire services such as Gmail. However, Google says the absence of clear exemptions for ordinary communication tools creates uncertainty about how providers would comply.
Google is not alone in raising concerns. Representatives of Meta, TikTok and Snap have also warned lawmakers that broad definitions of harmful content could give regulators extensive discretion and encourage platforms to remove material excessively to avoid large penalties.
The Australian government maintains that the legislation is needed to make digital services safer by requiring companies to address risks before harm occurs. The Senate inquiry is continuing, with a committee report expected by November 20.
The debate will determine how far Australia's proposed online safety obligations extend and whether lawmakers introduce clearer protections for private communication services before the bill proceeds.
