There was a forum argument about this before, with no RAW resolution that didn't smack of absurd rigidity. So I side with you. Being forced to apply Sneak Attack leads to some absurd situations that demonstrate an utter lack of control on the part of a fantasy-genre elite weapon master. It gets into that "new superhero learning their own strength/power" comedy territory, except with fatal results.
Another way to look at it is that it's an ability you gain through knowledge and practice, not an embedded part of your Strikes (like say weapon Runes). As you've noted, your PC has to attack weak spots to gain this damage, and the ability notes "taking advantage", so couldn't one not take advantage of this vulnerability? Of course one could decline, and the harshest penalty I could see (and still dislike!) would be that the target isn't Off Guard for that attack (since that's what you're taking advantage of).
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It makes no narrative sense to say that the rogue is incapable of not striking a weak spot - or, in general, that a character is incapable of turning off an ability they have.
The rules leave all these corner cases out because there is a limited page count, and since you are generally striking enemies and trying to do as much damage as possible, that's what is covered by the rules. And being a slave to RAW is pointless, because in an open game like this, you will always have to adjudicate things that are not covered by it.
What is useful is considering how your players could abuse the leeway you are granting them. In these case, I don't think they can.