Our Vision for Business Information — An Open Directory

It’s time for an open dialogue about privacy regulation, data accuracy and the world of business information Business information enables commerce between businesses and is a key driver to the economy. Accurate and updated business information is critical to maximizing buyer and seller communications. Privacy concerns — stemming from the now-ubiquitous nature of personal information — apply differently to business information. Organizations must be able to reach businesspeople to conduct business, but applying uniform privacy requirements to business information would prevent companies from efficiently doing so. Obsolete data further reduces business productivity. These effects on businesses cascade: they slow the entire economy, which is driven by efficient connections between businesses.

ZoomInfo adopts the following position on privacy, access and accuracy as it pertains to business information and welcomes discussions with other business information providers on how to make the following concepts best practices within the B2B industry:

• Business Information is NOT the Same as Personal Information: Basic information about organizations and the people who work in them (organizational information, business background, employee job titles, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.) should be treated differently from personal information. It should be obtainable by anyone without undue regulatory requirements because it is paramount to facilitating global commerce by allowing buyers and sellers to transact more efficiently.
• Personal Information is Private: Neither personal information (home address, phone number, spouse’s name, home value, etc.) nor behavioral information (tracking online personal information and behavior across Web properties) are business information. Personal and behavioral information are both private and warrant regulatory protection.
• People Must Have Control Over their Personal and Professional Profiles: Everyone must have the opportunity to easily manage, change or remove information in personal and professional online informational profiles.
• Business Information Must be Accurate: B2B information providers must offer innovative solutions to achieve highly accurate, near real-time snapshots of organizations and professionals to minimize the negative impact of obsolete data on other businesses.