What I’d really like to know is whether anybody has any evidence whatsoever that paid apps in these same categories don’t do exactly the same things in exactly the same percentages.
It is a simple rule and there are definitely exceptions in both directions. (Good free apps, bad paid apps)
The safest assumption to make is that if you give an app permission to access information from your device that the information will be shared with a nefarious actor.
From there, if you want to get benefits from uploading your information, you can make adjustments like "Oh, I know this guy, he's been making apps for a long time and seems trustworthy." or "This is a larger company and isn't likely to be bought just to strip mine their customer data. Additionally they probably have safeguards in place to keep rogue employees from running off with it."
None of those is fail-proof, but it's all about risk.
The more I think about it, the more I think it is appropriate to say if an app is free, you are the product and can assume they will extract every bit of value from you that they can.
If an app is paid, there is at least the possibility you aren’t the product. But you still might be.
But more interestingly, there are bad paid apps. Take this paid Mac app for instance: https://gizmodo.com/top-apple-mac-app-secretly-sends-your-br...
What I’d really like to know is whether anybody has any evidence whatsoever that paid apps in these same categories don’t do exactly the same things in exactly the same percentages.