Google warns it may scan Gmail, Drive to stop teens seeing porn [in Australia]

Google’s parent company has warned that Australia’s proposed digital duty of care laws could require it to scan personal data across its services, including Gmail and Google Drive. The rules would place stricter obligations on platforms to prevent people under 18 from accessing pornography and fetish material, as well as content related to eating disorders, extreme violence and other harms. Google’s warning suggests that enforcing these requirements could reach beyond publicly shared material to private emails and files stored by users.

Introduced by the Albanese government in October, the legislation passed the lower house on October 29 and could expose platforms to penalties of more than $100 million. The issue highlights a tension between protecting teenagers from harmful content and safeguarding the privacy of people’s personal accounts. The warning raises questions about how services would identify prohibited material and how widely any scanning would apply. It does not specify Google’s technical plans or say the company has decided to inspect messages and files; it states that the proposed duties may make such scrutiny necessary.