...I was going to edit my original comment, but it seemed more appropriate to just follow up with a reply...
I was unaware that this was an Elsevier product (another comment pointed that out).
I do not use Elsevier products (directly, anyway, maybe I do indirectly but I doubt it). I have, however, followed the various controversies surrounding the company for the past several years. Those who are with me will not be surprised that Mendeley added this sort of "feature".
Elsevier is not in the business of providing a helpful, useful, research library and tooling. Their business model is to be the only source of that information. This has been done using a combination of legal, contractual and technical means. I won't get into the whole ethical/legal argument about whether or not they should be allowed to do some of the legal/contractual things that they do to "pseudo-control" that data[0].
This smells like a feature borne out of corporate culture. Their business really is about exerting control over their customers, so it's natural (to them) that tool their customers rely on would similarly contain features related to keeping customers in the walled garden[1].
[0] Especially research done via grants paid for with public funds) -- I suspect I'd enter an echo chamber pretty quickly (and even if not, I'd be unlikely to persuade someone in a medium-length comment.
[1] There's some clever pun here about paper walls and research papers but it's too early to be that clever.