That's a great question, and it points to a common area of confusion. To be direct, there is no 'hash' tag in the BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) specification. The term 'hash' in this context likely comes from a mix-up with social media hashtags, specifically for the location 'Bimini'.
BIMI is an email standard that allows brands to display their logos next to their messages in the inbox, but it relies on a different set of tags within a DNS record to work. Let's clear up the confusion and look at what BIMI records actually contain.
BIMI vs. #Bimini: the source of confusion
When you search for 'BIMI hash', search engines often return results for social media hashtags related to Bimini, a district in the Bahamas. It's a popular destination, and as a result, it generates a lot of social media content.
You will see posts on Instagram, GETTR, and other platforms using hashtags like #Bimini, #BiminiBliss, and #BiminiBahamas. This is purely related to travel and social media and has no connection to the technical email standard, BIMI.
The actual tags in a BIMI DNS record
Now that we've cleared that up, let's look at what a real BIMI record contains. A BIMI record is a TXT record that you publish in your domain's DNS. It tells email providers where to find your logo and how it's verified. A standard BIMI record has the following tags:
- v=BIMI1: This is the version tag. It's always set to BIMI1. It must be the first tag in the record.
- l=: This is the location tag. It contains a secure URL (HTTPS) pointing directly to your brand logo, which must be in a specific SVG format.
- a=: This is the authority tag. It is optional and contains a secure URL pointing to your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). A VMC is a digital certificate that proves you have the legal right to use the logo. While optional, major providers like Gmail require a VMC for your BIMI logo to be displayed.
So, a complete BIMI record with a VMC would look something like this:
v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/vmc.pem;
Why verification is important for BIMI
The core of BIMI isn't a hash; it's verification. Before a mailbox provider even checks for your BIMI record, it first checks that you have a strong DMARC policy in place (p=quarantine or p=reject). This DMARC policy proves you are taking steps to prevent spoofing of your domain.
The VMC, referenced in the a= tag, adds another layer of trust. It confirms that your logo is a registered trademark, preventing bad actors from impersonating your brand with a lookalike logo. In summary, BIMI has no 'hash' tag. Its security and integrity come from its dependency on DMARC and the validation provided by a VMC.
