Google
is
experimenting
with
a
new
verification
feature
in
search
that
should
make
it
easier
for
users
to
avoid
clicking
on
fake
or
fraudulent
website
links.
Some
people
are
seeing
blue
verified
checkmarks
beside
business
links
in
Google
search
results
that
indicate
the
company
—
like
Meta
or
Apple
—
is
genuine,
and
not
some
copycat
attempting
to
benefit
from
a
recognizable
brand.
“We
regularly
experiment
with
features
that
help
shoppers
identify
trustworthy
businesses
online,
and
we
are
currently
running
a
small
experiment
showing
checkmarks
next
to
certain
businesses
on
Google,”
Google
public
affairs
spokesperson
Molly
Shaheen
told
The
Verge.
My
colleague
Jay
Peters
spotted
checkmarks
next
to
official
site
links
for
Microsoft,
Meta,
Epic
Games,
Apple,
Amazon,
and
HP,
but
these
were
no
longer
displayed
once
he
logged
into
a
different
Google
account
—
meaning
this
experiment
isn’t
being
rolled
out
widely
just
yet.
Hovering
over
a
checkmark
will
display
a
message
that
explains
“Google’s
signals
suggest
that
this
business
is
the
business
that
it
says
it
is,”
which
is
determined
by
things
like
website
verification,
Merchant
Center
data,
and
manual
reviews
according
to
Shaheen.
Here’s
the
full
message
that
appears
when
you
expand
the
information
on
the
search
checkmarks.Image:
Google
/
Jay
Peters
The
new
search
experiment
seems
to
be
an
extension
of
Google’s
Brand
Indicators
for
Message
Identification
(BIMI)
feature,
which
is
used
to
display
checkmarks
in
Gmail’s
web
and
mobile
apps
next
to
senders
who
have
adopted
the
verification
platform.
Google
hasn’t
officially
announced
the
search
checkmarks
yet,
or
said
when
(or
if)
more
users
can
expect
to
see
the
feature.
(Originally posted by Jess Weatherbed)
Comments