Strong disagree. You want to keep track of how many times I go to the bathroom each day, and how much toilet paper I use each time? I complain about data hoarding. You're handling my money? You'd better not lose it, and you'd better keep accurate records, and you'd better keep them forever.

And in these specific cases, 20 years ago? They weren't handling stuff with computers 20 years ago? They didn't keep backups of that? (Another commenter notes a 10-year record keeping requirement in Europe, so in that case it may have legitimately been removed.)

But it's worse with the government. It wasn't 20 years ago, you just did it. And you don't have records? That's theft.

Why would you need to know anything about 20 years ago. In a sense financial data is even easier. There is a ledger and if you have kept 10 years of detailed history that is plenty.