Google Is Testing Verified Checkmarks In Search

Google is testing a new verification feature in search, in a move aimed at helping users avoid fake or fraudulent websites. The Verge's Jess Weatherbed reports: My colleague Jay Peters spotted checkmarks next to official site links for Microsoft, Meta, Epic Games, Apple, Amazon, and HP, but these were no longer displayed once he logged into a different Google account -- meaning this experiment isn't being rolled out widely just yet. Hovering over a checkmark will display a message that explains "Google's signals suggest that this business is the business that it says it is," which is determined by things like website verification, Merchant Center data, and manual reviews according to Shaheen.

Verifying source is one thing

[Baron_Yam]

What about quality? Have you ever met someone who has found a search result on the Microsoft Community pages that was actually helpful instead of some MS-certified idiot repeating the question asked before providing an irrelevant copypasta answer?

Re:

[Malay2bowman]

I've come to the conclusion that M$ is using a bot for answers and not a particularly good one. The best answers come from other users.

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[Baron_Yam]

I always assumed it was paper MCSEs (or whatever the current name for them is). The answers are frustratingly clueless and go in circles, but not quite like you'd expect from a chat bot.

Or maybe they just have oddly bad chat bots.

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[buck-yar]

They operate like the typical authority. Usually the level of advice is "restart the computer" or "make sure you're software is up to date" with finger wagging and a condescending tone.

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[Fly Swatter]

Haha, recent search results pointing to a Microsoft Community post now result in a redirect to a Microsoft log in page... Search result links to those pages are now useless (which actually didn't really change the end result..).

A multiple level standard is NEEDED

[bussdriver]

It's pathetic we've had to go this long ... and continue to go without levels of real security:
https security should have always been done without a CA and the warning steps. Idiots will just have to learn to check as part of their browsing habits.

Additional signers for verification are optional added layers which need to be easily accessible and probably have some sort of color coding scale for simple reference. A standardized rating scale would allow filtering such as a school or parents removing everythi

How quickly will this get corrupted?

[schwit1]

It will end up like the BBB, pay up to get a checkmark.

Re: How quickly will this get corrupted?

[LindleyF]

No, Elon doesn't run this one.

Good Idea In Theory

[SmaryJerry]

Good in theory but now Google will have to verify .. the entire internet. Somehow this seems like little guys are going to get screwed, or if Google has something about your site it doesn't like, you will get screwed.

Re:Good Idea In Theory

[alvinrod]

Doesn't really matter if the links are verified or not when their search doesn't return what you were trying to find in the first place. This will only make it worse as the scummiest sites will pay for the verification and of course Google will want to give them more play for their pay. Verified waste of your time is all it will be.

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[Malay2bowman]

"Good in theory but now Google will have to verify .. the entire internet" And I expect the AI to have this level of quality control skills: https://youtube.com/watch?v=b-... [youtube.com]

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[Tony Isaac]

I mean, they already mapped...the entire world in Google Maps. For me, if something's not on Google Maps, it might as well not exist. But luckily, literally everything is on there.

It doesn't seem like a company that can do that, would have much trouble "verifying" the internet.

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[toutankh]

I can see one benefit: when searching for a hotel or restaurant, devalue results for sites like yelp or booking.com.

Copying twitter?

[taustin]

Yeah, that's a good idea. Bound to make their ads more credible.

Too late. I gave up.

[Waccoon]

Google is already useless. I don't use it for anything anymore, and haven't for years.

Who cares

[gweihir]

Anybody still using Google search at this time is doing it to themselves.

Giving up?

[bradley13]

Basically, it means that Google has given up. They cannot clean up their search results, so now they expect people to pay for verification. Of course, the worst SEO spammers will also pay, so...

Logged In?

[0xG]

these were no longer displayed once he logged into a different Google account -

People do that?