Google is expanding the verification system for business email accounts. With a blue tick, companies can show that they are a reliable sender.

Starting today, companies can apply to receive a blue tick next to their name. It will appear one to three days after the request, Google writes in the update. The blue ticks are only available for Workspace customers and not for your personal account.

Although the mustard was very conspicuously taken from Twitter, the blue ticks do have a purpose. Our inboxes are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with spam and phishing emails in which scammers try to impersonate a company. Criminals are also getting better at mimicking corporate email templates and websites, making it easier for gullible victims to be trapped.

Since last year, Gmail has therefore displayed a company logo with the sender to prove that the e-mail actually comes from the company in question. Now Google is adding a blue tick to give you extra security. Companies have to apply for this themselves, but unlike Twitter, they do not have to pay extra for it.

We’re already seeing the first blue ticks in our personal mailbox, which means Google has already started rolling them out.