Oct 07, 2024 10:53:00

Google is testing a feature that adds a 'blue check mark to guarantee that a company is genuine' to search results

Google search displays a wide range of websites that match the words you type, but sometimes

fake sites that look like legitimate brands are displayed . To prevent this, it has been reported that Google is testing a feature that adds a 'blue check mark that guarantees that the company is genuine' to Google search results.

Google is tested verified checkmarks in search - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24261877/google-search-verified-checkmarks-experiment-feature

You may see blue checkmarks in your Google search results soon. Here's why | ZDNET
https://www.zdnet.com/article/you-may-see-blue-checkmarks-in-your-google-search-results-heres-why/

On October 4, 2024, overseas media The Verge reported that 'Google is testing a new authentication feature in Google Search to prevent users from clicking on links to fake or fraudulent sites.' The new authentication feature is being tested only for some users.

Test users saw some company links in their Google search results marked with a blue checkmark, as shown below: The blue checkmark ensures that the link is provided by a real company and not a site that is trying to profit from imitating a well-known brand.

When you hover over the blue checkmark, you'll see the following message: 'This icon is displayed because signals detected by Google suggest that this company matches what it claims to be. Google does not endorse this company or its products.' The decision to give a company a blue checkmark is based on a combination of website verification, data from Google's

Merchant Center , and manual reviews.

Jay Peters, a writer for The Verge, confirmed that the blue check mark was given to the official websites of Microsoft, Meta, Epic Games, Apple, Amazon, HP, etc. However, when Peters tried logging in to a different Google account, the blue check mark was no longer displayed.

'We regularly experiment with features to help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we're currently running a small experiment to show checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google,' Google spokesperson Molly Shaheen told The Verge.

Google has previously supported ' Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) ', which allows users to see at a glance whether a company or brand is genuine in Gmail, and in 2023 introduced a 'blue check mark to determine whether a company or brand's email account is genuine. The Verge claimed that this Google search initiative is an extension of BIMI.

Gmail introduces blue check mark to tell you if emails from companies and brands are genuine - GIGAZINE