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https://reclaimthenet.org/australia-orders-search-engines-to-enforce-digital-id-age-checks
Australia Orders Search Engines to Enforce Digital ID Age Checks
The new rules pull search engines and hosting platforms deeper into Australia’s expanding web of digital control.
Australia has moved to tighten control over the digital environment with the introduction of three new online safety codes, measures that raise pressing privacy and censorship concerns.
These codes, formalized on June 27 under the Online Safety Act, go beyond introducing digital ID checks for adult websites; they also place substantial obligations on tech companies, from search engines and internet service providers (ISPs) to hosting platforms.
Businesses that fail to comply face the threat of significant financial penalties, with fines reaching as high as 49.5 million Australian dollars, or about $32.5 million US.
The codes seek to restrict Australian users’ exposure to material classified under two categories: Class 1C and Class 2.
Class 1C encompasses “online pornography – material that describes or depicts specific fetish practices or fantasies.”
Class 2 covers a broader range of content, from “online pornography – other sexually explicit material that depicts actual (not simulated) sex between consenting adults” (Class 2A), to “online pornography – material which includes realistically simulated sexual activity between adults. Material which includes high-impact nudity” or “other high-impact material which includes high-impact sex, nudity, violence, drug use, language and themes. ‘Themes’ includes social Issues such as crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependency, death, serious illness, family breakdown, and racism” (Class 2B).
Schedule 1 – Hosting Services Online Safety Code, companies that provide hosting services within Australia, including social media platforms and web hosts, are compelled to implement six compliance measures.
A core requirement obliges these services to manage the risks posed by significant changes to their platforms that could make Class 1C or Class 2 material more accessible to Australian children.
Schedule 2 – Internet Carriage Services Online Safety Code targets ISPs. It mandates the provision of filtering tools and safety guidance to users and empowers the eSafety Commissioner to order the blocking of material deemed to promote or depict abhorrent violent conduct.
The Commissioner has previously exercised similar powers, as in the directive to block footage of a stabbing circulated on X.
Schedule 3 – Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code directs search engine providers to roll out age verification for account creation within six months.
These platforms are also instructed to develop systems capable of detecting and filtering out online pornography and violent material by default, where technically feasible and practicable.
Additional stipulations include offering parental controls, preventing sexually explicit autocomplete suggestions, supplying crisis prevention resources, and mitigating accidental exposure to restricted content.
The measures extend to AI-powered search functions, although standalone AI applications are not covered.
These regulations significantly expand the surveillance and censorship capabilities of the Australian government, raising several alarms among privacy advocates concerned about the erosion of digital freedoms under the push for online digital ID
https://www.westernjournal.com/f-dem-governor-complete-loss-words-asked-cocaine-use/
'What The F…': Dem Governor Is at Complete Loss for Words After Being Asked About Cocaine Use
Democratic Governor Janet Mills of Maine appeared stunned and angry when she was confronted by a man who asked her about alleged cocaine use in her past during a recent public appearance.
Fox News reported the moment occurred last week during an event at Sunday River Resort in Newry, where Mills was taking photos with attendees.
An unidentified man approached the governor and posed a blunt question, which was caught on camera.
“Is sniffing cocaine a human right, Janet?” he asked, clearly referring to Mills’ past controversy.
Mills, who was caught off guard, responded, “What the f***?”
WARNING: The following social media post contains language some viewers might find offensive.
WATCH: Maine Democrat Governor Janet Mills when asked about her alleged cocaine use and if sniffing cocaine at work a "human right":
"What the fuck." https://t.co/7GXGbmKl4K pic.twitter.com/hz00aLHTTg
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 1, 2025
The man who confronted Mills did not elaborate or offer any context for his question, but then asked, “How much more does an eight-ball cost with inflation?”
The governor quickly walked away after delivering her profane response.
The outlet reported that Mills’ staff has not commented publicly on the interaction.
Fox News noted that Maine Republicans have called on the governor to respond to rumors of drug use in her younger years, which Mills has denied in the past.
The governor was investigated for alleged cocaine use in 1990 by state and federal agencies, but no charges were ever filed.
Mills, 76, claimed she was targeted over her politics. She is currently serving her second term as Maine’s governor.
She has faced scrutiny from critics in the past over her far-left policies and her tone when dealing with opponents.
Mills’ defiance of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning boys who identify as transgender from competing in girls’ sports in the state garnered all sorts of headlines.
The Trump administration sued Mills and Maine in April when Mills said she would ignore the order.
“The Department of Justice will not sit by when women are discriminated against in sports,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time. “This is also about these young women’s personal safety.”
Mills was also one of the governors who clashed with the Trump administration over her COVID pandemic emergency powers.
In a trip to the state in June 2020, Trump blasted Mills for stalling in regards to reopening the state’s commercial fishing industry, News Center Maine reported.
“Why isn’t your Governor reopening your state?” He asked.”You have a Governor that doesn’t know what she’s doing, and she’s like a dictator.”