Analysis of over 1 million apps in Google’s Android operating system in 2014 shows apps can seek 235 different kinds of permissions from smartphone users. The average app asks for five permissions.

“Today, 68% of Americans own a smartphone of some kind and an increasing number of digital interactions occur within the context of mobile apps. Apps (short for “applications”) are programs that users can download to their smartphone or tablet computer. They can serve a nearly unlimited range of functions — from simple tools like a calculator to advanced digital assistants. They allow users to tailor their powerful pocket computer into a device with hundreds of potential uses that meet their owners’ specific needs. In order to function, apps may require access to both the capabilities of the devices they reside on as well as the user information contained on those devices. As users go about their lives, their mobile devices produce a vast trove of personal information and data, ranging from the user’s location to a history of his or her phone calls or text message interactions. This puts apps at the center of debates about privacy in the digital age.”