App permissions - What the hell?
I just moved from an AT&T iPhone to a Straight Talk Galaxy Nexus, and for the most part I'm very happy with it, but there's one aspect I find incredibly disturbing. Most of the 3rd party apps I'm interested in seem to have just outrageously invasive permissions. For example, the Weather Channel app has permission to make phone calls using your phone without your knowledge. It can record audio from your phone, again without your being aware it's doing so. It can read your email and contacts, and send emails to contacts without any user notification. This is an extreme example, but I've come across a lot of otherwise useful apps that require the ability to pinpoint your location and record the numbers your phone dials for no apparent purpose. Why does a grocery list app or a guitar tuner need to know where I am and who I'm calling? I guess I should be grateful that the app store presents you with this info before you can download, but how can Google justify allowing this sort of behavior from devs?
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