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Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is a stock media marketplace and content licensing platform. Scripts appear on sites that use Shutterstock images, editorial content, or its TurboSquid 3D asset library, delivering licensed media assets and verifying proper content attribution and usage rights compliance.

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Overview

Shutterstock is one of the world's largest stock media marketplaces, licensing photography, vector illustrations, video footage, and music to creative professionals and businesses. Its CDN and API scripts appear on websites that dynamically embed Shutterstock-licensed content, use Shutterstock's image search API to power editorial or creative tools, or integrate with Shutterstock's TurboSquid 3D asset library. Shutterstock is a US company certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

What This Script Does

Content Delivery

  • Delivers licensed media assets (images, video previews, audio samples) from Shutterstock's CDN infrastructure at ak.picdn.net and shutterstock.com media endpoints
  • Serves image preview watermarks and full-resolution licensed assets based on license verification
  • Optimizes image delivery via Shutterstock's CDN (backed by Akamai) with format negotiation (WebP, AVIF)

API Integration

  • Sites using the Shutterstock API (api.shutterstock.com/v2/...) load JavaScript to handle OAuth flows, search queries, and asset rendering
  • The Shutterstock API JavaScript SDK (shutterstock-api) enables programmatic image search, lightbox management, and download initiation
  • License verification calls are made server-to-server; client-side scripts handle the display layer only

Script Files and CDN Domains

  • Media CDN: ak.picdn.net (Akamai-backed Shutterstock CDN)
  • API endpoint: api.shutterstock.com
  • Preview images: thumb7.shutterstock.com, thumb9.shutterstock.com
  • TurboSquid assets: media.turbosquid.com

Cookies Set

  • ss_ab_test — A/B test assignment for Shutterstock.com UI experiments; set when navigating to Shutterstock properties
  • user_session — authenticated user session if the visitor is logged into a Shutterstock account
  • CDN/session cookies for delivery optimization: short-lived, scoped to Shutterstock domains
  • No advertising or behavioral tracking cookies are set on the host website's domain

Data Collected

  • IP address of requesting browser (transmitted to Shutterstock CDN nodes)
  • License key and content ID included in authenticated API requests
  • Download and preview events logged by Shutterstock for license enforcement and abuse detection
  • No visitor behavioral profiling or advertising data collection occurs through content delivery scripts

Consent & Compliance

Consent category: Functional

Shutterstock scripts serve licensed media content that the site operator has contractually obtained rights to display. Under GDPR Article 6(1)(b) or (f), delivering content the site operator has licensed is a legitimate operational activity. Under the ePrivacy Directive, CDN delivery cookies are necessary for efficient content delivery and do not constitute tracking. No advertising or cross-site behavioral cookies are set. Data transfers to the US are covered by Shutterstock's EU-US DPF certification. Under CCPA, content delivery does not constitute a sale or sharing of personal information.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

No. Shutterstock scripts deliver licensed media content with no advertising or behavioral tracking functionality. They are purely functional content delivery infrastructure and can load without consent.

Is Shutterstock GDPR compliant?

Shutterstock typically loads functional trackers, which are not strictly necessary for your site to work. Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, non-essential cookies and trackers must stay blocked until a visitor gives clear opt-in consent. So Shutterstock can be fully GDPR compliant, but only if your site holds its scripts until consent is granted and lets visitors decline just as easily. Compliance depends on how your site loads Shutterstock, not on Shutterstock itself.

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Consent Categories

Functional

Also Known As

shutterstock embedshutterstock javascriptshutterstock GDPRTurboSquid consentstock media licensing privacyshutterstock cookies

Industries

Computers Electronics and Technology

Tracked Domains (1)

Shutterstock's trackers are rarely seen, seen on a small share of the sites ConsentStack has scanned. Scan your own site to see which of these are firing before consent.

shutterstock.comEssential

shutterstock.com is an essential domain operated by Shutterstock, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

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