I used to think like you do... up to around 2015 or so. Then I had to answer the question "how can this possibly be happening?" over a hundred times since. I now ask, "why wouldn't it be happening?" Uncle Sam has the deepest pockets in history.
Every piece of commercial software is indeed hoarding anything it can get on you. Your employer is probably selling your pay stubs. The world has changed.
Anyway John Oliver had a funny piece on data brokers if you'd like a ten-minute primer. United States of Secrets by PBS Frontline is a two-hour extravaganza.
I know my employer is selling my data to all kinds of third parties. Microsoft is collecting my info through my required use of Outlook and Windows. Confluence has my data. Salesforce has my data. My company even uses linkedin for certain trainings which means they are getting some of my data. I've explicitly avoided some of these companies because I didn't want them to have my information, but my work insists of handing out my data like candy, often before I'm made aware and can even object to it.
My company isn't even always paid directly for it, but it's factored into the costs of the software and services they pay third parties to provide. Many businesses are willing to give my company a deal in order to make sure that employee data gets into their hands/databases.
Every piece of commercial software is indeed hoarding anything it can get on you. Your employer is probably selling your pay stubs. The world has changed.
Anyway John Oliver had a funny piece on data brokers if you'd like a ten-minute primer. United States of Secrets by PBS Frontline is a two-hour extravaganza.