Today, after months of testing, Google is introducing labels in the Play Store to identify official state and federal government applications in over 14 countries. Users will be able to screen out programs that pose as official in order to steal data or money, thanks to this new label.
Currently, the business claims that these badges cover over 2,000 applications in Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, India, and Mexico. When it unveiled new guidelines for app developers in November, the firm hinted at this functionality.
On official applications, consumers will see a new “Government” badge. “Play verified that this app is affiliated with a government entity,” says a pop-up that appears if users touch on the badge. Lists, such as the app “Top Charts,” also display the emblem.
Google claimed to have collaborated on badge onboarding with governments and their developer partners. When a lot of phony federal and state government applications appeared on the Play Store to deceive users, the corporation encountered issues in India.
The firm noted that Play Store rules already prohibit applications with deceptive icons, pictures, or bogus descriptions—especially those claiming to be genuine apps.
Google’s policy on dishonest conduct reads, “Apps that falsely claim affiliation with a government entity or to provide or facilitate government services for which they are not properly authorized.”
Google claims that to address security concerns, it requests documentation from developers confirming that they have the necessary authorization to handle government materials. It also encourages the government to register developer accounts on Google Play and publish applications using official email addresses.
