[mfer]

Some monitoring is for operations. Apple needs to know your phone number of iMessage (if you have that enabled with most people do). Google and Apple will track the location for the "find my device" features that many of us use.

There are potential security reasons Apple may be using the information, too. For example, if more than one phone has the same phone number, IMEI, etc... it may be that one is spoofing the other. Do they look to catch that?

One of the things we don't talk enough about (or look into) is what info is being collected and how it is or can be used. Some of this is a black box at the companies and we need to go on reputation. It would be great if more of that use was opened up to people.

For reputation, Google is known to use all the data they can to influence behavior to make money. There have been books and papers written on this and the history of it. Apple is not known for this. So, their reputation is a little different. Just for context.