It has less to do with research, even.

Equifax, like many Fortune-N companies, has a heavily funded sales and PR team working actively against your individual research.

Should you, as an individual, apply to a company or attempt to buy a product that has been “sold” the Equifax product suite, you’re still beholden to Equifax services(or leave without the job or house).

You’re effectively stuck, unless you have the resources(time/money) to look for employers or products that stay away from Equifax.