Australia’s online safety regulator has rejected warnings from big tech companies that a proposed law would push them to censor too much content. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told a Senate inquiry on Tuesday that she had seen no sign of platforms over-censoring, Reuters reported.
“I haven’t seen any indication, particularly over the past two years, that companies are over-censoring,” Inman Grant said.
The bill, known as the Digital Duty of Care, would require internet companies to look for and prevent harm to their users before it happens. Also, companies that fail to do so could be fined up to A$109m ($75m).
It would also require age checks where children risk seeing pornography. In addition, users could opt out of content picked by algorithms and see only posts from accounts they follow.
Google, Meta, TikTok and Snap told the inquiry that the law could lead to widespread censorship, as platforms try to avoid being held liable. Free speech groups also say it gives the regulator too much power to decide what counts as harmful.
On Monday, a senior Google executive in Australia said the age-check rule could force the company to block under-18s from Gmail. Supporters of the bill, however, argue that only a broad law can keep users safe.
Inman Grant said companies were trying to show users as much content as possible, regardless of harm. Most excessive removals, she added, came from automated moderation running without human checks, not from pressure by regulators.
Even so, she was open to tighter wording. If lawmakers think the bill is too vague, a narrower definition of harmful content would help her office enforce it, she said.
The bill has passed the House of Representatives but needs support from crossbench senators to clear the Senate. The government wants it passed by the end of 2026.
The law would add to Australia’s already strict rules for tech platforms. Since December 2025, the country has banned under-16s from social media, and the eSafety Office has powers to fine companies that break the ban.