I would indeed expect a community-run project to have been better (at evaluating the trade-offs of access logging [which occurs on every other web property F-Droid users utilize]). If only because there would have been more than one voice that mattered, and thus consensus would be required rather than unilateral dictation.
Is the confusion a result of disagreement, or of my explaining my perspective poorly?
it's disagreement. i fully understand your perspective, however from what i have seen, there is a tendency for the consensus lean towards the lowest common denominator that all can agree on. iaw. the most paranoid wins (ok, not that extreme, but it illustrates my point)
of course the upside of community input is that you also have more moderate voices and technically knowledgeable ones that can explain the risks and help reduce peoples worries.
Is the confusion a result of disagreement, or of my explaining my perspective poorly?