Australia enforces search age checks; Ireland targets anonymity
New age-verification standards for search engines in Australia took effect on Dec. 27, requiring platforms such as Google to confirm the ages of logged-in users and apply content filters for others. The eSafety Commissioner has provided a six-month period for full compliance.
Under the rules, companies must verify users’ ages through methods including photo ID, facial recognition scans, credit cards, digital ID, parental consent, AI-based tools, or third-party verification. Guidance also directs platforms to apply the strongest safety filters by default to accounts suspected of being used by individuals under 18, establish a reporting system for violations, and filter search results for content deemed unsafe, including pornography and graphic violence.
Privacy and freedom of expression advocates have raised concerns about the measures. In a post on X, Jason Bassler, co-founder of The Free Thought Project podcast, claimed that “starting 2 days ago, Australians are now required to upload their ID to use a search engine,” suggesting the policy could signal broader erosions of privacy and freedom.
The search rules follow Australia’s recent move to limit access to social media platforms for users under 16, a law that took effect on Dec. 10.
Ireland outlines plan to seek EU-wide social media ID checks and curb anonymity
Ireland plans to promote similar age verification requirements across the European Union when it assumes the presidency of the EU Council in July 2026, according to Irish outlet Extra.ie. The proposal would include banning anonymous accounts across the EU and requiring identification to post on social media, framed as a response to online hate and disinformation.
Tánaiste Simon Harris told the publication that Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan will bring forward the proposal next year. “We have a digital age of consent in Ireland, which is 16, but it’s simply not being enforced. And I think that’s a really important move. And then I think there’s the broader issue, which will require work that’s not just at an Irish level, around the anonymous bots,” Harris said.
Separately, a Dublin woman was recently sentenced to six months in prison for sending social media messages to the Irish leader, allegedly calling him a murderer and expressing wishes of harm to his family.
US responds to foreign regulatory efforts, citing First Amendment concerns
Recent actions in Australia and Europe targeting social media and online platforms have drawn a response from the Trump administration. US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers asserted that regulators in the UK and EU are attempting to censor US-based platforms and undermine protections afforded by the First Amendment.
“And cumulatively what all of these hostilities really announce is that Europe and the UK and other governments abroad are trying to nullify the American first amendment by enforcing against American companies and American speakers on American soil.”
In June, Ofcom, the UK communications regulator and competition authority, opened an investigation into New York-based discussion board 4chan and warned it could impose fines for alleged violations of the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023.
US lawmakers are weighing measures such as the Wyoming GRANITE Act, which would allow US persons, individuals, or companies to sue foreign governments that attempt to impose censorship or content-moderation rules on them.
On Dec. 23, the US State Department announced sanctions against five EU officials, alleging they led “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.”
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