but why even build such a """feature""", if you'd get sued to hell and back for it in any self-respecting country?

Just don't activate it in self-respecting countries. And in America, wow, look at all this free data that is being stored on our servers! Surely we can parse that for something interesting and sell it or train an AI on it. Once users get used to it we can even charge them for the privelege.

When you find any business decision that makes no sense and you ask "why the fuck would they do that??" just follow the money trail and you'll find your answer. It's always about money. Every time.