The trouble is the data starts to take on a life of its own. Sure, it was difficult to acquire, but now it's there, in that huge collection of data, and getting rid of it is more complicated than

    DROP TABLE x0x0_2003;

Honestly, is there any precedent where reasonable information purges have been required in the past, targeted or otherwise? I would be similarly hard-pressed to selectively erase information from my data, and all I have is a couple hard drives, a filing box, and a number of sales receipts buried in every corner of my life.