Yeah wtf. That's kinda books whole thing. They just sorts exist until they naturally end up in a charity shop.

Yep. They sell them as an online access model. The professors use them because they can have questions built in during your reading that will give you a grade. It will also have premade tests. It makes it simple for them, and they don't give a shit about your privacy anyway. If you don't buy the online book, you don't get the grades and fail.