Why do we let corporations do things like this?

As you can see, the dash has now been modified to work like Windows 8 help does. It records your keystrokes (like a keylogger does, and may I add, a keylogger is a form of MALWARE), and apparently your IP address (!!!!), and sends it to a server to a Canonical-owned server.
This information is then "mined" as it's called by Canonical and sent to other third-parties (such as the ones listed).

They say they are not going to expose your information, which okay they follow that, but guess what they get in return for this information?
They get MONEY!
That's right, they're SELLING YOUR information, and getting MONEY for it!

And I will not be surprised when someone hacks into the listed server and leaks some or all of the information. It's bound to happen at some point.

And the really bad thing?
They have it all enabled by DEFAULT.

Who reads legal notices these days anyway? An average user wouldn't even know these settings exist unless they knew about it beforehand or stumbled on it accidentally.
After likely searching at least once, and having their IP sent over the unsecure internet.

This kind of activity should be outright illegal.

As it is, this whole thing is asking for a lawsuit. I smell a storm brewing...

Now that is more like it, and how it SHOULD be by default.