Why do commercial entities do this kind of data mining anyway?
Because it is very valuable.
Read about this IPO from a couple of days ago. "IMS Health Holdings Inc., a 60-year-old company that sells data on prescription use to drugmakers and analysts....IMS gathers data including on how drugs are marketed and prescribed and sells that along with analytical tools and services to clients including drugmakers, pharmacies and government agencies. Sales rose 4 percent to $2.54 billion last year, according to the filings."
