Verified SMS will put an end to impersonating well-known brands
The clean-up of the internet will soon also cover mobile devices and their key communication channel - SMS messages. Google is working on a new Verified SMS (vSMS) feature for Android that will verify the credibility of the sender. One of the giant's local partners in this project is the Polish company SMSAPI.
Year after year, the use of good practices by bulk SMS providers makes it increasingly difficult for fraudsters to send out fake messages. Soon it will also be easier for recipients to recognise them. Google is already working on the right technology.
- For some time we have been observing how suspicious apps are being removed from the Google Play store. We are pleased that now the owner of Android, the most popular operating system in Poland and worldwide, is taking on the issue of the security of phones' native function, namely SMS. Thanks to further technological solutions, we will be able to introduce even higher standards for verifying trusted senders, allowing users themselves to recognise them. We want this channel to become fully free of scammers, because SMS is often used to convey important information and there should be no room for fraud in it - explains Maja Wiśniewska, PR & Content Marketing Manager at SMSAPI.
How does Verified SMS work?
How does Verified SMS work?
In the world of new technologies, solutions from one area can easily be transferred to another by leveraging established user habits. In its new feature, Google therefore decided to use the blue badge symbol next to the sender's name, the kind used by social media services such as Twitter or Instagram. This makes it possible to distinguish the official profiles of companies and well-known people from unofficial fan accounts. Thanks to SMSAPI's cooperation with the American giant, obtaining such a badge will be very simple for the portal's clients.
- Anyone willing to send vSMS will have to be verified as a company actually operating under a given name or brand. We will act as an intermediary, but Google will have the final say. The approval procedure will be carried out manually, but it should not take longer than a week. Once it is completed, the company can be registered in our panel as a Verified SMS sender. When sending, the client will be given the option to change an ordinary message into a Verified SMS - says Jakub Kluz, Product Manager at SMSAPI.
How will Google's Verified SMS verify senders?
At first, the new feature will be added to the Google Messages app. Tests have already been carried out in, among others, the USA, India, Brazil and the United Kingdom, as well as with companies such as Kayak, SoFi and Paym. The next step is to introduce similar mechanisms on Android phones using Google's messaging app.
Giants are taking network protection upon themselves
Giants are taking network protection upon themselves
Digital service providers realised long ago that they had to start technically blocking the posting of harmful content online. As a result, in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to come across sites that congratulate you right from the start on winning the latest iPhone, only to proceed moments later to installing malicious software on your computer. Their creators cannot count on receiving an SSL security certificate. Users also recognise trustworthy services thanks to "https" at the beginning of the URL and the padlock symbol displayed next to it. In the Chrome browser, used by more than 60 per cent of internet users according to StatCounter data, a Google warning is displayed when entering a site without an SSL certificate, which effectively cools the enthusiasm of internet users hungry for easy wins.
- Google has adopted a similar strategy towards phishing SMS messages as it has towards fake websites. Everything indicates that in a few years we will no longer see messages from suspicious senders in our phones, because they will be cleverly hidden. Work is currently under way on marking credible companies and organisations, which is why it will be worth taking advantage of this feature right from the start. A company that starts sending vSMS will show its sincere intentions of caring about security and will at the same time stand out from unverified senders - says Maja Wiśniewska.
Integrating SMSAPI's software with Google Verified SMS technology is primarily a technological matter. The process of checking who the senders of mass messages are has itself been carried out at the company for a long time. All sender fields made available to clients are verified. In case of doubt, they must send documents confirming their organisation's tax ID or company registration number and prove ownership rights to their internet domain.
