How to Get Your Company's DUNS Number for Free
The author recently spent valuable time trying to retrieve their company's DUNS number, an identification number assigned by the American company Dun & Bradstreet. This number is essentially the business-to-business equivalent of services like Experian or Equifax, which have been collecting and selling company information globally since 1841. Dun & Bradstreet assigns these identifiers to businesses without explicit consent. The process of obtaining this number was unexpectedly time-consuming for the author, who initially expected it to be a quick task.
The DUNS number serves as a critical identifier in global commerce, akin to a business credit score. Dun & Bradstreet's long-standing practice of assigning these numbers proactively highlights the systemic importance of data aggregation in financial markets. Companies benefit from such identifiers for trade, credit, and regulatory purposes, but the lack of explicit consent in the initial assignment raises questions about data ownership and user awareness. Future developments may involve more transparent data acquisition processes or alternative decentralized identity solutions, potentially shifting the balance of control and value in business information services.
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