Uber app has requested access to browser history, bookmarks, and running applications

About a week ago there was an update of the Uber mobile application for Android to version 3.98.2. Users of the program immediately noticed that after updating Uber requests access to the history of visited pages in the browser, bookmarks and running applications (see screenshot ).

Such a curiosity Uber looks suspicious, especially given the recent statistics, according to which the company has provided information to the authorities and US regulators on their requests for 12 million passengers and Uber taxi drivers.

“I can’t imagine what rational reasons there might be, why a taxi application rummaged through the history of my browser, and even less to see the list of applications that I use,” one of the users who frequently travels by taxi Uber is indignant

On the Android Permissions page, in the list of requested permissions, there is no history of visited browser pages, bookmarks, and running applications. Apparently, here is a list for the latest versions of Android (Lollipop and above).
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The current version of Uber for Android in the Google Play directory dates back to yesterday afternoon (April 16, 2016) and has the same number 3.98.2.

It should be noted that although when installing the update all the specified permissions are requested, in reality the current version does not have the functionality to access confidential information, only the list of running applications (GET_TASKS), so there is no particular reason to worry. On the other hand, once having received such permissions, in the next versions after the automatic update, the corresponding functionality, theoretically, may appear.

The installation screen with a request for all these permissions from the Device & Apps group really looks strange, but so far there is nothing to fear. It is difficult to imagine that a private company Uber has a cunning plan to collect private information about users and the sale of this database.