A federal judge ruled the practice is fair use because eliminating the original means only one copy exists at a time.
So no, the reason isn't to keep that information, even from competitors. It's about a legal ruling, which allows them to scan said books without infringing copyright. Judicial decisions and case law have lead to this outcome.
Please stop spreading rumours without any validity.
From here:
https://x.com/HedgieMarkets/status/2081534588485296565
A quote:
A federal judge ruled the practice is fair use because eliminating the original means only one copy exists at a time.
So no, the reason isn't to keep that information, even from competitors. It's about a legal ruling, which allows them to scan said books without infringing copyright. Judicial decisions and case law have lead to this outcome.
Please stop spreading rumours without any validity.