I am evaluating Shutterstock as a new destination for some of my photos and videos. I've been a Shutterstock user for their stock images, but I'm just getting going being a publisher. I thought it was worth noting that as part of their sign up process they require me to upload a copy of my state issued identification before I can sell photos or images as a Shutterstock publisher.
This is something I've encountered with other affiliate , partner, and verified solutions. I've also had domains expire, go into limbo, and I have to fax in or upload my identification. It isn't something I haven't seen with many API providers yet, but I'm guessing it will be something we'll see more of with API providers further locking down their valuable resources.
I am not sure how I feel about it being a regular part of the partner and developer validation process--I will have to think about it more. I'm just adding to the list of items I consider as part of the API management process. It makes sense to certify and establish trust with developers, but I'm not 100% sure this is the way to do it in the digital age. IDK, I will consider more, and keep an eye out for other examples of this with other API providers.
Shutterstock publisher isn't necessarily connected directly to the API, but once I'm approved I will be uploading, and managing my account via their API, so it is a developer validation process for me. The topic of developer validation and trust keeps coming up in other discussions for me, and with the increasing number of APIs we are all developing with, it seems like we are going to need a more streamlined, multi-platform, and an API-driven solution to tackle this.
For me, it would be nice if this solution was associated with my Github account, which plays a central role in all of my integrations. When possible, I create my developer accounts using my Github authentication. It would be nice if I had some sort of validation, and trust ranking based upon my Github profile, something that would increase the more APIs I use, and establish trust with.
I will file this away under my API management, authentication, and partner research, and will look for other examples of it in the wild--especially at the partner layer. Certifying that developers are truly human, or possibly truly a valid corporate entity seems like it is something that will only grow in the bot-infested Internet landscape we are building.
