Do most apps have way too much control for a phone?

[SteveO]

If apps didn't have full network access, then there's no point in having it since it wouldn't be able to update itself or send requests to servers, and nothing would work since everything relies on the internet for pulling content. If it didn't have access to the SD card, then of can't use the storage space for databases or have the ability to move the app to the SD card, nor would you have the ability to save pictures from Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. If an app didn't have access to your contacts, then you couldn't use it to update contact information from applications like Facebook and Twitter, nor would you be able to set contact notifications or ringtones. The permissions you grant aren't a security concern...the Android system, by design, needs those permissions since it's very secure by nature (thanks to a customized Linux-based kernel and architecture). Information isn't collected by a third-party unless you explicitly tell an app that it can do that. Permissions in Android are used to access different areas of the system and even then it's limited in what is available and how that content is accessed.