I think his point in general sticks, i.e. that businesses that he will never use, or have any common interest with, have got hold of his data.
I frequently get spam emails telling that the American tax service needs my details or my American medical insurance does. Sometimes I get ones telling me I've been shopping at some automobile store in the USA. I don't live in the USA, so neither of these are relevant to me, but it lets me know my email address is on some databases with a number of Americans.
One of the comments notes that Canadian Tire were "the only ones bothering to warn people that the company they use was compromised.
"Over here in the US I remember seeing something like that a number of years back. The card systems a bunch of retailers used was compromised and Target was the only one that bothered to tell everyone. And most people never knew if they used those other places they were compromised even if they didn't go to Target."
