Google Warns Gmail Users They Could Be Blocked

Google has warned that younger users may no longer be able to use Gmail under a proposed Australian internet law.

Rachel Lord, YouTube’s head of policy for Australia and New Zealand, said the draft Digital Duty of Care bill could force Google to prevent under-18s from using its email service if they were considered at risk of seeing pornography on the platform.

“It would require us to verify age and block access to communication services such as messaging, email and private file storage,” Lord said, according to Reuters on Monday (9 November 2026).

Google opposes the proposal. Lord said the rules could disrupt users’ private communications. “We are talking about potentially intrusive monitoring of private communications or file storage,” she said.

Technology companies and free-speech advocates have also objected, arguing that the legislation would give regulators broad discretion to decide what is harmful and could pressure platforms to remove content.

Representatives of Meta, TikTok and Snap voiced similar concerns, saying the draft rules could impede online communication by giving regulators extensive authority to determine harmful content or behaviour. They also warned that regulators could supersede some existing industry codes of conduct.

Some groups have raised concerns that platforms could over-moderate content to avoid penalties under the proposed rules.