Google certifies email from selected sources

Posted by kent on July 16th, 2009

How do you know if an email is really from the person or company you think it's from? Email spoofing is a big problem these days. Just about everyone has received an email purporting to come from a trusted entity like eBay, PayPal, Chase, or a member of Canadian parliament. How do you know if it's for real?

Google is working on a solution. Initially it has implemented technology to make sure that email coming to your Gmail account from eBay and PayPal really is coming from eBay and PayPal. It works through a process of authentication standards; basically, eBay and PayPal have the keys and Google has the lock. Only emails that have the keys will fit the lock and wind up in your inbox. It's a good first step, and we applaud Google, PayPal, and eBay for working together to fight email spoofing.

At this point it only works with through Google's Gmail, and only with email from eBay and PayPal. Internet security software is another layer of protection you can use to help identify phishing emails and nullify their effects. To find out which ones offer the best protection, check out our Internet security software reviews.