Well there are so many different types of data, they're all used in different ways! But one use of federal data is to validate the impact of policy. See if new policies are working, who they affect/harm the most, etc.
It's not settled yet that it IS illegal. The FTC alleges it is, and that's what the FTC's case will decide. In the US, it isn't illegal to be big or even to have a monopoly. What's illegal under antitrust law is using unfair tactics to keep a monopoly by blocking competition rather than winning it.
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