It's not something I'd do, but there are a number of reasons people might do something like this, including:
1. To demonstrate technical flaws, on a purely technical basis.
2. As political action in opposition to surveillance or inadequate security measures.
3. Interest in loose-knit collaborative systems with emergent effects that people can assemble together.
4. As a fun prank, not thinking enough about how it would affect other people.
5. The point being to hurt other people, and/or to feel power over them. (This is a thing, including by organized groups/clubs on the Internet, but I think it's a small minority, and doesn't apply to the commenter.)
Incidentally, when I started skimming that comment, I thought it might be about organizing a non-proprietary, open network, for the same benefits as Apple users get, which could be great.
That's certainly a more charitable interpretation of their comment than I gave it, perhaps I was unfair though I rather suspect the intent was closer to my reaction than your ideas
Text-based communication, especially informal comment text, are obviously pretty terrible at accurately conveying tone and intent. I like to adhere to the “assume good faith” maxim whenever possible, although that’s increasingly difficult in this polarized age of “Roman salutes.” Anyhow, I personally read their comment as something of a tongue-in-cheek chaotic neutral sort of curiosity.
> "I like to adhere to the “assume good faith” maxim whenever possible"
That's generally my policy too, when I wrote the comment I felt confident that I wasn't missing a less mean-spirited interpretation that they may have meant instead, but it's possible my mood this evening clouded my judgement. If I was wrong, apologies to fsckboy
Maybe an off-the-cuff idea, in curiosity and good-natured mischievousness, and then minutes later, while thinking it through, would realize, oh yeah, that could be bad, whew, sigh, and that's humbling.
Then sometimes the thinking leads from there, maybe from a bad idea to a good idea, or maybe realizing a related thing in the world is also secretly bad, and can we address that.
I use Apple and Android because I like gadgets and technology and software. I dislike anything proprietary. I am up for doing anything to undermine Apple's proprietary products. If Apple has a proprietary means of telling people they are being stalked by stalking devices that Apple also sells, yes, i will do anything to undermine it. And anyway, it's Apple stalking and telling people they are being stalked, not me.
Would you be interested in creating a non-proprietary alternative for functionality people desire (with whatever technical and philosophical differences you want)?
Maybe see it as undermining via creating what you see as good, rather than as destroying what you see as bad?
At this point the best thing is mave sure this is well known. If he has the idea you can bet evil [china, north korea, russia... should come to mind] will too. If I do it I'm harmless but it forces apple to react. If evil does that they will also hide their tracks and so we are less likely to find out while they do their harm.
