Overview
- Representatives from Google, Meta, TikTok and Snap told a Senate committee on Monday that a clause in the Digital Duty of Care bill could require platforms to verify ages or block under‑18s from services such as email, messaging and private file storage.
- The bill requires companies, where ‘‘technically feasible and reasonably practicable,’’ to offer at least two age‑verification methods to stop users not verified as adults from seeing material judged to pose a foreseeable risk of children encountering pornography.
- Google warned that privacy protections were removed from the list of factors companies must weigh when complying, which the company said could force scanning or monitoring of private emails, messages and files to meet the age checks.
- The legislation has passed the House of Representatives and is under Senate review with a committee report due by November 20; Communications Minister Anika Wells is seeking passage by year‑end, the law would take effect 12 months after enactment, and fines can reach about A$109 million.
- Industry witnesses said the bill’s broad wording and large penalties could push platforms to over‑moderate content and redesign services in ways that limit ordinary use for young people and change how Australians communicate online.