What is there that needs justification for what the proverbial eyes can plainly see? That aside what is the moral license to academic research and what gives th

What is there that needs justification for what the proverbial eyes can plainly see? That aside what is the moral license to academic research and what gives the right to gatekeep what everyone can see if they took an uncommon action? Both are in fact doing so to make a living indirectly for their institutions by using what was already out there and rely upon arcane means to derive income from the data through layers of separation.