---
published: true
layout: post
title: Know Your API Consumers (KY(A)C)
date: 2025-05-05T09:00:00.000Z
tags:
  - Security
  - Management
  - Transparency
  - Consumers
  - Trust
image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/algorotoscope-master/yellow-journalism-times-square-corner.jpeg
---
The age of build and they will come API portals with free tiers across your APIs is over. Web, mobile, and even device applications were friendlier versions of API consumers that may (or may not) help you evolve your business and platform, but artificial intelligence has changed the game. The API game isn’t a friendly game anymore and if you are the steward of valuable digital resources and capabilities you will need to know your API consumer.

## Know Your API Consumer (KY(A)C)
KY(A)C is a identify and trust framework that allows human and machine consumers of APIs to register and maintain a trusted profile, which can then be used as verification, authentication, and authorization when it comes to automated API onboarding. 

## Accounts
KY(A)C allows for two distinct types of accounts, which are validated and used to verify the credibility and trust factor of API consumers who are onboarding with Apis.

- **Human Consumer** - Human beings that will be building applications on top of APIs.
- **Machine Consumer** - Bots, agents, and other machines who are consuming APIs.

Accounts for both human and machine API consumers will validated and ranked, providing an API service that can be used by other APIs to validate who they allow to access their APIs in automated ways.

## Services
KY(A)C would provide a variety of services to individuals, companies, and other entities that would help them ensure the integrity and trust surrounding their API infrastructure and how it is being consumed.

- **Validation** - Allow individuals and companies to be able to validate an account.
- **Membership** - Allow human and machine consumers to benefit from memberships.
- **Rating** - Evolve and apply a rating system for all accounts the incentivize quality.
- **Activity** - Subscribe to the activity occurring across consumers and industries.

The goal of this approach is to be the middleman brokering trust between producers of APIs and the human or machine consumers of their APIs, then introducing more automation into the way APIs are being applied across any application. You cannot afford to just let anyone have access to your APIs anymore, and your gateway and supporting API management practices are how you are going to “give away the farm” to venture-backed predators from the land of artificial intelligence.