But users might actually read the developers' explanations, in which case they would need to be true. If no 3rd-party verifies the permissions explanations before the app is released, then the only value is as a legal agreement between the developer and end-users. I would expect that to devolve into a 30-page EULA per app ... which has already happened, for many apps.
@ck2 is performing as thorough of a verification as possible without source code access. If I were a malicious app developer, however, I might program my app to wait a week before transmitting any user data.
As a developer I've often wished for this. You can stick it in the app description but it'd be nicer if it was on the permission screen. Marking permissions optional would be helpful too.
I've seen some apps in the android marketplaces that do have descriptions which attempt to explain the permissions. I've also seen apps that have a "lite" version with much fewer permissions needed.
But what I really want is the marketplaces to allow direct apk downloads because I always want to examine the file first on an emulator.
@ck2 is performing as thorough of a verification as possible without source code access. If I were a malicious app developer, however, I might program my app to wait a week before transmitting any user data.