A legitimate reason is to move the service data online so it can be continuously updated and accessible from a web browser instead of the chunky Windows app the

A legitimate reason is to move the service data online so it can be continuously updated and accessible from a web browser instead of the chunky Windows app they were using before straight out of 1995. But other manufacturers who do this make the data available to consumers via AllData or similar services. BMW does not, presumably to make more money on service.