> Sure, apps can be abusive and ask for more permissions than they need and refuse to run if they don't have them, but that's a problem with any conceivable permission system.
The OS could give fake data to the apps. Such as a arbitrary GPS location, or an empty contact list.
Hopefully, that would be unnecessary. If my calculator app won't run without full access to my address book, I'll seek out an alternative calculator which will; at this extreme, with an open marketplace, there will surely be alternatives.
That's not something that developers would stand for. As a developer, I want to know that a permission was denied, so I can take action. If a permission I asked for was denied, it's quite possible my app won't run correctly. And I don't want to deal with idiots leaving crappy reviews because they decided to deny permission.
The OS could give fake data to the apps. Such as a arbitrary GPS location, or an empty contact list.