Data Protection
D&B – one of the leading companies in its industry sector when it comes to data protection measures.
For over 160 years, D&B has been collecting information on companies so that it can develop products and services that support its customers in their critical procurement and sales decisions.Today, D&B is one of the world’s leading providers of B2B credit, marketing and procurement services. As a leading company in the information sector, D&B has been putting data protection measures into practice for more than 20 years.
These basic principles of data protection are still valid to this day and are used for all of our information services.
Data protection regulations in the Internet
In response to customer wishes, D&B now delivers its products and services over the Internet, faster and more efficiently than ever before. Many of the measurable benefits of D&B services are the result of the free flow of information. D&B recognises that this free flow of information must be balanced with the interests of private individuals. We also believe that a balanced application of data protection in the Internet is a sign of good business practice. Therefore, D&B approaches the issue as follows:
| D&B collects data by systematically searching through the Internet (browsing). | In most cases, visitors to the D&B website are not obliged to enter personal information such as their name, address or telephone number. On most pages, visitors to the D&B site do not have to enter any personal information, although we do collect some such information with the help of technology. Some non-personal identifiers are collected by the website server, for example: which browser is being used (e.g. Netscape) or the domain name from which a visitor has reached our site (e.g. www.anyfirm.com). |
| The application of internet technology | In the Internet, we sometimes use what are referred to as ‘cookies’ to save log-in and other information on your computer. A cookie is a short piece of information that a website transfers to your computer’s hard disc. Many websites use cookies to make your life as an internet user easier. We use cookies to make it easier for you to access our website or to adapt our services to suit your needs and interests. Some pages that are part of the D&B website require you to submit personal information, so that you can order products or register with D&B. You can recognise when you are being asked for this information as you will have to fill out a form and return it to us. The requested information can include your name, postal and e-mail address and your telephone and fax number. |
Confidentiality and security measures
D&B takes the best possible technical, contractual and administrative steps to prevent unauthorised access to personal data. D&B employees are obliged to treat the confidential and personal information relating to D&B and its customers that they have access to during their employment with the strictest confidentiality and to not disclose this to third parties. D&B employees are also responsible for the internal security of this information. Various technologies have been used on some D&B pages to further secure this information.
