I've read this argument dozens of times on HN and on HN only - I'd love to see an example of that actually provably happening anywhere in the real world.

I would love to as well. It sounds like something that's plausible but potentially a minefield of liability for the manufacturer.

I could also see some kind of partnership with ISPs to use their "public" WiFi hotspots[1]. This seems more likely since it's (probably) harder to honeypot but requires making regional deals.

[1] https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/is-your-router-a...