Yeah, but for example, IEEE conference paper templates explicitly state "The word 'data' is plural, not singilar". So if you use it with a singular verb you will receive this post in an email and you can only say thank you and change it.

The piece of data and the data overall suggest that...

Over categorization is a lie that only causes more problems. Stop the forcing of categorizing things. Just let things exist.

And the word “data” is only one word, so “data is plural”

Wouldn't that be a correct thing to say if Data uses singular they/them pronouns?

There definitely are rules to language, which are determined by how the language is actually used. The issue with prescriptivists is that they invent their own rules which often go against how the language is used, i.e. the rules are nonsense.

Take the "less vs fewer" argument. Everyone happily uses 'less' in pretty much the same way for nearly a millennium, then some prescriptivist asswipe comes along and says they don't like it so now there's a rule. Prescriptivists spend the next couple of centuries yelling about their new rule and creaming themselves over how they're now 'better' at the language than other people while everyone else just doesn't give a fuck and continue to speak normally.

In the end language is just a tool to communicate ideas. If you clearly understood someone but whine because they ignored your made up rules you're the asshole.

I'm getting the urge to run screaming and call the authorities.

Do his ear next