Nobody doubts that, right now, mobile applications have become an essential part of our lives, what happens is that many cybercriminals, aware of this, have taken advantage of the vulnerabilities of app stores, such as Google Play Storeto sneak in fake apps that do nothing more than impersonate the real ones and try to get hold of the private data of all those who fall into the trap.
Therefore, today it is more important than ever to be able to discern between reliable applications and those that could put our security at risk. In this sense Google has taken an important step in this direction with the introduction of the new ‘Government’ badge on Play Store. This new icon, which looks like a small office building, aims to clearly identify official applications developed by government entities and thus be able to distinguish them from all those that try to imitate them.
The badge appears on different categories of the app store, including app listings, search results, and even the main feed. In this way, users can be sure that they are downloading the official application and not a fraudulent imitation that tries to sneak into the devices of those who think they are downloading an app that is not really the case.
When will we see it in Spain?
Google’s initiative is not limited to a single country, but is being implemented globally, as usually happens with all these types of developments that, sooner or later, end up reaching all countries globally. Right now, countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Korea, among many others, are already benefiting from this measure. This means that users around the world will be able to make government procedures such as verifying taxesrenew driver’s licenses, pay fines and more, with the confidence that they are using the official and secure application and that nothing and no one is going to steal their data (unless, of course, the governments themselves do it, but that is a topic we can discuss later).
It should be noted that Google has launched additional measures to ensure the security and authenticity of applications that receive the ‘Government’ icon. or ‘Governmental’ so as not to give them to just anyone. For example, government agencies must use official emails when setting up their accounts, and applications that handle sensitive information, such as voting apps, undergo more rigorous security checks.
We can imagine that this label will begin to appear in the apps of the different autonomous communities or the state ones such as My Citizen Folder, although we still do not know if apps like the one from the DGT or those to request a health appointment will receive the same status and will be considered in the same way by Google’s algorithm and those responsible for improving security at the company. It will be a matter of waiting a few weeks to see it first-hand.