It's typically a lot easier for software engineers to pull data out of a service that they use than it is for regular users. If APIs are available, we engineers can cobble together a program to pull our data out. Without APIs, we can even whip up a screen scraper to get a copy of the data. Unfortunately, for most users this is not an option, and they're often left wondering if they can get their data out at all.

Directives from the World Health Organization have provided the companies with the kind of clarity engineers appreciate.