This irks me to no end. They justify it with "engagement" and it kinda works to a point, since if you don't get pissed with the broken search and register an a

This irks me to no end. They justify it with "engagement" and it kinda works to a point, since if you don't get pissed with the broken search and register an account, you're not considered a "user", and if you try to use the tool but don't want to register you're not "engaging" with it, I guess... But it makes the initial contact that much more miserable.