Because regardless of using other privacy techniques the imei number is linked to your purchase
Discussion
And what can that be used for?
everything done from the phone is linked to who purchased it...
link? lol t-y
But how do they link what is done on the phone to IMEI. As I see, apps can only get this info with special permissions
permissions:
"Android 10 (API level 29) adds restrictions for non-resettable identifiers, which include both IMEI and serial number. Your app must be a device or profile owner app, have special carrier permissions, or have the READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE privileged permission in order to access these identifiers."