Pearl Industry Network (PiN) has just launched TrustLink Beta in the U.S, pitching it as a free safety tool that helps creators prove they’re legit without having to hand over raw documents to every new person they meet.
The core idea as letting creators “verify once and selectively share credentials… helping reduce catfishing, impersonation and unsafe bookings."
PiN’s positioning is basically: studios and formal productions have built-in gatekeeping, but independents are often doing trust checks in DMs with limited information.
TrustLink is meant to give creators a more structured way to say: “Here’s proof I’m real and verified, without oversharing.”
To make sure I wasn’t just repeating a press blurb, I reached out directly with industry-specific questions. Corey Pearson (PiN co-founder and Chairman of the Board) shared several details by email that help clarify what TrustLink actually is today, and where it’s heading.
Think of TrustLink as a controlled verification profile you can use when it matters (collabs, travel shoots, services, in-person meetings, etc.). The key selling point is that verification is handled through a third party, while creators get more control over what’s revealed to other people.
PiN frames it as privacy-forward, so that creators don’t have to keep sending sensitive info around.
The Long-Term is to provide all of the tooling for people of all types and careers to be safer in our world.
This is the part most creators care about (and should).
PiN stores minimal personal data. In Cory's words:
We only store the very minimal amount of information required for compliance/billing and that information is stored in a highly encrypted (AES-256) air-gapped environment
He also specified what they retain:
Everything else is not retained inside PiN’s system beyond what’s required.
TrustLink is already usable today as a verification + sharing tool, even though it’s still in Beta. Here’s what’s live right now:
Background checks are also in the making, and they would be strictly self-initiated: creators could choose to run one on themselves (registered sex offender list, criminal history), and if cleared, TrustLink would display a badge without storing the underlying report.
Right now it’s a fresh Beta launch, so the next things to watch are pretty clear: background checks, community adoption and integration.
TrustLink is a solid step in the right direction, especially for independent creators who do a lot of networking, collabs, and “let’s work together” conversations outside of studio systems. Its tools are designed to remain always free, with optional future add-ons only carrying a cost if (and only if) they involve a real third-party fee.
We believe that safety should not be a service that is offered to only those that can afford it.
One could hope it will become one of those simple safety habits that will gain sufficient adoption and word-of-mouth to become an industry standard and keep adult creators safe.
