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Australians to face age checks from search engines

Logged in to Google or Microsoft? Age assurance is coming.

Australians using search engines while logged in to accounts from the likes of Google and Microsoft will have their age checked by the end of 2025, under a new online safety code co-developed by technology companies and registered by the eSafety Commissioner. Search engines operating in Australia will need to implement age assurance technologies for logged-in users in "no later than six months”, under new rules published on Monday. The Commissioner said she had sought extra safety commitments from the industry on six outstanding codes, which covered the likes of app stores, device manufacturers, social media, and messaging services.

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