Wow, this is an amazing find.
I can understand that Apple/govt would love this information. But anyone has guesses on why this would be a public facing feature?
I can understand that Apple/govt would love this information. But anyone has guesses on why this would be a public facing feature?
I'm sure they will also use it some other ways too, but the gist is that it actually benefits end-user features and isn't just for dragnet data collection.
If I arrive at Piccadilly Circus, I don't want my phone to tell me what service I [should need/should be using] - I want to easily and consistently access any service that I want from my phone.
I want to be in control of my phone, not for my phone to be in control of me.
It's public facing precisely because people are concerned about this kind of data collection. This way you can make an informed choice about what apps can see about you and what to send to apple.