Add Google to the number of tech companies that are offering blue check marks to user accounts.
The company has introduced a new feature for Gmail that’s meant to warn people against scammers, letting companies verify their identities and adding the blue tick next to their name in peoples’ inboxes.
The program is an expansion of Google’s Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) initiative, which Google began testing in 2021. There is no charge for the feature.
“Strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust,” the company wrote in a blog post. “This increases confidence in email sources and gives readers an immersive experience, creating a better email ecosystem for everyone.”
Hovering over the check mark will summon a popup for Gmail users, which reads “The sender of this email has verified that they own [the domain it was sent from] and the logo in the profile image,” accompanied by a link for additional information.
The feature should be live for users by the end of the week.
Google’s embrace of the blue check mark comes at a time where its meaning on Twitter has become muddled. Once a signal that an account was authentic, it has become known as a “badge of shame,” with some Twitter Blue subscribers (who pay $8 per month for the check) finding themselves ridiculed. (App researchers have even found evidence Twitter could be adding a toggle letting subscribers hide the check from view.)
Facebook, too, has added the feature, charging people $12 (or $15 on Apple and Google devices) for the badge. Reactions to that feature have been lukewarm as well, as critics say it’s just an attempt to buy clout.