Google Now Points Out Official Government Apps on Play Store According to the tech behemoth, the change lets users determine whether the app they are viewing is authentic or not.
By Kavya Pillai
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
You're reading BIZ Experiences India, an international franchise of BIZ Experiences Media.
The majority of Android devices' default app store, Google Play Store, is getting a new feature that will show whether an app is published by the government. According to the tech behemoth, the change lets users determine whether the app they are viewing is authentic or not.
A number of phony apps that imitate government-sponsored apps have made their way into the Play Store within the past few years. Google claims to have collaborated with 14 countries globallyâ€"including the Indian governmentâ€"to address this very problem.
The internet giant claims that over 2,000 apps presently have the new logo, and they are available in over 2,000 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India. Apps such as Digilocker, mAdhaar, NextGen mParivahan, Voter Helpline, and others in India display the new badge.
Just underneath the app name, users will see a new "Government" badge when they click to view the description of that app. When you tap on it, a pop-up window with the statement "Play verified this app is affiliated with a government entity" will appear. The company added that lists such as "Top Charts" also have the symbol.
Additionally, Google stated that it frequently requests documentation from developers to confirm that they are authorized to handle and hold official government documents and that it encourages governments everywhere to register developer accounts using official email addresses.
Although Google frequently eliminates applications with deceptive images, phony descriptions, and icons, there are a lot of apps in the official Android app store that falsely identify as being from Google. Google promises that the new badge will make it simpler for consumers to recognize authentic ones and gradually lower the likelihood that consumers will divulge private information to dishonest parties.
