In order to combat phishing attempts, Google is testing the insertion of small blue checkmarks next to some of its search results. A good way to see at a glance whether a site is trustworthy or suspicious.
Account certification has become an essential element on the Web. Whether on Blame it on the proliferation of identity theft and fake news!
Google was also quick to adopt this certification system in some of its services, such as Gmail and the Play Store. It seems that the Internet giant has decided to listen to its certifications in its search results. Indeed, as noted The Vergethe web giant has started to insert a small blue check mark next to certain results to demonstrate their reliability, that the site belongs to the company and is not an obscure phishing page. For the moment, only a very limited number of Internet users have the right to do so.
Google blue checkmark: spot reliable sites at a glance
By hovering over the small icon, a very clear text is displayed. “Google signals suggest this company is who it says it is”says the pop-up. Enough to prevent Internet users from giving their credit card numbers or personal information to a fraudulent site. Checkmarks were spotted next to links to the official sites of Microsoft, Meta, Epic Games, Apple, Amazon and HP.
“We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we’re currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google.”Google public affairs spokesperson Molly Shaheen told The Verge.
This new feature appears to be an extension of Gmail’s BIM (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) program, which has been available since 2021 and allows you to display checkmarks in web applications. and mobile electronic messaging alongside reliable senders (see our article). Google has yet to officially announce the rollout of verification badges, or whether more users can expect to take advantage of the feature.