Gmail gets a blue checkmark feature: Here’s what it means – Times of India

Google is adding a new feature to Gmail which will help users to identify legitimate senders. In 2021, the tech giant introduced Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) in Gmail, a feature that requires senders to use strong authentication and verify their brand in order to display its logo as an avatar in emails. Now, based on this feature, Google is introducing blue checkmark icon emails.
Gmail users will now see a checkmark icon for senders that have adopted BIMI. The company claims that this new feature will enable users to recognise messages sent by genuine senders from those sent by impostors. For those unaware, BIMI aims to increase the adoption of strong authentication in the email ecosystem for those who have implemented Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC).
Why is this new feature important
Google claims that strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust. By mandating robust authentication and logo verification prior to displaying logos in the Gmail avatar slot, BIMI enhances security measures for Gmail. The implementation of strong authentication instills greater trust in the origins of emails, while also offering a more engaging experience to the recipients.
The presence of blue checkmark gained a lot of limelight recently, when Twitter recently started removing blue checkmarks from Twitter accounts that have not subscribed to Twitter Blue. Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet. Users can subscribe to Twitter Blue by paying $8 or Rs 169 per month.