Question

a soft inquiry on your credit history is a request made by
*your employer or current creditors and could negatively impact your credit score
*your employer or current creditors and cannot negatively impact your credit score
*a potential lender and could negatively impact your credit score
*a potential lender and cannot negatively impact your credit score

Answer 1

*your employer or current creditors and could negatively impact your credit score

It's done mostly by employers as a part of a background check, and can be done without your permission