Verification policies have moved away from public figures on social media and to your Gmail inbox, as Google will now verify specific email addresses with a blue check.
Also: What is phishing? How to protect yourself from scammers
In 2021, Google announced that brands that implemented Domain-based Message Authentification, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) would receive official imagery within Gmail. So, reputable banks, retailers, and brands have their company logos in their outgoing email avatar slots.
Also: The best password managers
Now, Google announced that these companies will also receive a blue checkmark next to their email names to increase users' confidence. Google says this feature is essential because increased authentication stops spam emails and betters the email ecosystem.
Also: How to find out if you are involved in a data breach
Companies already enrolled in DMARC have their official logo displayed on their emails and can expect their checkmarks to roll out in one to three days, starting May 3.
This feature is available to all Google Workspace customers and all legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers. When users hover over a sender's blue checkmark, a message from Google will appear stating that the sender has verified their identity with Google.