Concerned that the George Clooney who added you to his circles isn’t the real deal? Now you can rest easy, courtesy of Google. The company has introduced a new verification badge program that will give celebrities a way of proving that their profile is the real deal.

Profile verification is indicated via a simple checkmark that is placed beside a user’s name on their profile. This mark doesn’t appear elsewhere (such as comments) however, so you’ll have to check out the suspected imposter’s profile to see if they’re the real deal.

Although the program has been made public, the means through which Google is verifying accounts is still a mystery, as there is currently no way for users to submit themselves for verification. According to the official announcement, this is “just the beginning.” My guess is that Google wants to handle big-name celebrities before opening up the waters for smaller fish.

As one might expect, this verification system will also mean an end to imposter accounts. Google+ policy requires that every user sign up under his or her true identity, which means there can only be one George Timothy Clooney. Anyone else claiming to be him will have their account terminated. So, if you’ve been getting your kicks by impersonating someone famous, don’t be surprised if Google shows up at your door with an axe – or at least sends you a nasty email.

Source: CNET