Google has started adding a "Government" badge in several countries to help users find official state and federal government apps on the Google Play Store. 9to5Google reports that the new label is visible across the Google Play Store app in places like app listings, search results, and the main Apps feed.
The company has been testing the feature with over 3,000 government apps for a while now. You can identify the government badge by looking for a building icon that is clubbed with it. For instance, you should be able to see the government badge on apps such as NASA, IRS2Go, and FEMA. Tapping on the badge reveals a short description, which reads:
Official government — Play verified this app is affiliated with a government entity.”
As per the report, Google Play Store"s government badge is rolling out in over a dozen countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.
For reference, the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) displays a grey checkmark on accounts representing a government or government officials, including heads of state and national-level cabinet members.
In a support document, Google acknowledges that there are "apps that falsely claim affiliation with a government entity or offer, or facilitate government services without proper authorization." The company says it doesn"t allow "apps that contain false or misleading information or claims, including in the app description, title, icon, or screenshots."
Google works with government agencies to verify the legitimacy of government-affiliated apps. The company further adds that an app that"s not affiliated with a government body and wants to provide related information, should include official web domains as its sources that users can cross-check. Also, it should be transparent about the fact that it doesn’t represent a government or political entity.
Source: 9to5Google