Google has started adding a “government” tag in several countries to help users find official state and federal government apps in the Google Play Store. 9to5Google reports that the new label is visible in every Google Play Store app in places like app listings, search results, and the main app feed.

The company has been testing the feature with over 3,000 government apps for some time. You can identify the government badge by looking for a building icon that accompanies it. For example, you should be able to see the government badge in apps such as NASA, IRS2Go, and FEMA. Tapping the badge reveals a short description, which reads:

Official Government – Play has verified that this app is affiliated with a government entity.”

According to the report, the Google Play Store government badge is distributed in more than 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) Presents A gray checkmark on accounts representing government or government officials, including heads of state and cabinet members at the national level.

B supporting document, Google confirms that there are “apps that falsely claim affiliation with a government entity or offering, or that enable government services without proper authorization.” The company says it does not 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-related apps. The company further adds that an application that is not affiliated with a government body and wants to provide related information, should include official web domains as its sources, which users can check. Also, it should be transparent about the fact that it does not represent a government or political entity.

source: 9to5Google