Google is experimenting with a new verification system to assure users that the links they click on are legitimate: a blue checkmark can now appear next to certain results, indicating that it is an authentic link to the site official of the company sought.
Strengthen user security
The goal of this new feature is to ensure that users get to the site they are actually looking for, while protecting them from traps set by malicious actors. Some take advantage of spelling mistakes or create fake sites to deceive Internet users. This move appears to echo last year’s addition of blue checkmarks for Gmail senders.
The experience has not yet been deployed on a large scale, but we can already observe this blue checkmark for certain results, in particular when using private browsing mode. It mainly appears in sectors like technology, electronics, luxury clothing and automobiles. While researching a few popular brands, it was found that companies such as Meta, Nike, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Nordstrom, Prada, and Audi were already verified.
Verified search results do not yet appear to be accessible to small local businesses or smaller businesses. Likewise, they are not available for major restaurant chains. Instead, the focus seems to be on large company websites where users are likely to make purchases or submit sensitive information.
Manual control by Google teams
By hovering over the blue checkmark, an explanatory message appears: “ This icon appears because Google signals suggest this company is who it says it is. » However, a warning accompanies this indication, specifying that “Google cannot guarantee the reliability of this company or its products.» This emphasizes that the verification concerns the authenticity of the site, but does not constitute a guarantee of quality or security of the services offered.
Google did not provide specific details on how it evaluates the security of these links, but informedThe Vergethat the process includes, at least in part, manual verification.
