Those "completely legal purposes" are only "completely legal" in the US. In the US, the owners of the computer own the data about yourself [1]. In Europe, the d

Those "completely legal purposes" are only "completely legal" in the US. In the US, the owners of the computer own the data about yourself [1]. In Europe, the data protection acts go the opposite: you own the data about yourself. Furthermore, in Europe, data collection about people has to fall under certain legally sanctioned reasons [2]. Notes: 1 - this can cause surprises when companies go bankrupt and the bankruptcy courts allow the sale of the data (about you) to proceed without your knowledge or consent. It is very rare for you to be notified (such as in the current Borders bankruptcy), or the privacy policies of the dearly departed company to be honored by the courts. 2 - Just because you are willing to give the data to me does not necessarily make it legal.