Google warned that the draft Australian Digital Duty of Care legislation could require age verification and lead to restricting Gmail access for minors. The bill has passed the House of Representatives and still needs Senate approval; non‑compliance could result in fines of up to 109 million Australian dollars.
Google’s Australia‑NZ policy lead Rachel Lord said the age‑check requirement, aimed at preventing children’s exposure to pornographic content, might extend to email, messaging and cloud storage services, forcing companies to block those platforms for users under 18.