We live in unprecedented times where access to information is effortless. But then there are so many bad actors that are out to exploit the free access to information to spread disinformation and even cause harm to other persons by impersonating other brands, entities, companies, and so on, for their selfish gains.
The recent changes to Twitter surrounding the issuance of the blue checkmark which has since been used to authenticate reliable and reputable sources, has not exactly worked well as we have seen bad actors exploiting loopholes to cause a lot of harm.
- Twitter Verification: Types of Checkmarks and Badges Explained
- How to Subscribe to Twitter Blue and Get the Blue Badge
These consequences have far-reaching effects beyond Twitter’s walls and other platforms are seeing an influx of bad actors, all trying to work and beat the system. It is perhaps against this backdrop that Google is moving to introduce something that might help corporations, companies and entities to command some level of credibility by introducing a blue checkmark for emails.
As part of Google’s Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) system, we have seen new features like brand’s corporate logo as the avatar icon to indicate the message came from a verified and trustworthy sender.
Today, Google is seeking to further Expand upon Gmail security with BIMI. With this new change, users will now see a checkmark icon for senders that have adopted BIMI. This, Google says, will help users identify messages from legitimate senders versus impersonators.
As this is a feature meant for corporates and companies, end users need not do anything. Admins for these companies can adopt BIMI to have their official company addresses be presented with a checkmark.
Related:
- Online safety: Stop doing these 5 things on the internet. Seriously
- Be Safe Online – NITA-U launches Cyber Security Awareness Campaign
How to Get Gmail Checkmark for your Company Email
As a company or corporate IT Admin, follow these steps.
- Visit the Help Center to learn more about setting up BIMI.
- To learn more about BIMI and see the latest news, visit the working group’s website.
- To take advantage of BIMI for your outgoing emails to Gmail and other platforms, ensure that your organization has adopted DMARC, and that you have validated your logo with a VMC, issued by a Certification Authority such as Entrust or DigiCert.
Rollout pace
Google says that this new expansion is on a Rapid Release and once initiated by IT admins, they expect a full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on May 3, 2023. This is Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers and can be seen by users with personal Google Accounts.
Getting a Gmail checkmark for your company email is a great way to boost your credibility and trustworthiness with your customers and prospects. It shows that you are a verified sender and that your emails are not spam or phishing attempts.