The plural of anecdotes is not data
These corporations run our culture, and they riddle it with bullshit.
Data is the fabric of the modern world: just like we walk down pavements, so we trace routes through data, and build knowledge and products out of it.
Doctors and patients need as much data as possible to make an informed decision about what treatment is best.
Transparency and detail are everything in science.
Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.