Cruising around the Android Market looking for apps for my new Google Nexus S phone I noticed Dictionary.com has a free dictionary app for Android. I like looking up works and so I went to install it. But wait. it requires access to "Your location", "Network communication", and "Phone calls". Why the heck does it need to know who I call? I am guessing that it wants to know my location in order to show me advertisements for nearby businesses. The internet access could be for fetching ads. But my phone records? Why? To profile who I am by what sorts of businesses I contact?

That app is listed as having more than a quarter million downloads. So lots of people aren't bothered or aren't thinking about the privileges they are granting to their smart phone apps.

I decided I didn't really need that dictionary. I would be curious to know what they expect to make from advertisements per user who downloads their app. If they offered a 99 cent version without need for phone access, without geolocation, and without ads how many people would opt for it?