You’re just more aware of it now. The privacy controls are MUCH tighter now than they were in that era.
If you’re a software developer, you must understand that the user cannot actually understand what any code is doing. Even if you’re using open source, it’s an illusion to think you know what it’s doing. Heck, even the developer doesn’t know what it’s doing a lot of the time (how long does it take to figure out what’s happening with a tricky bug?).
So yes, Apple’s policies do mediate what a developer can do on behalf of the user. That’s how it works.
If you’re a software developer, you must understand that the user cannot actually understand what any code is doing. Even if you’re using open source, it’s an illusion to think you know what it’s doing. Heck, even the developer doesn’t know what it’s doing a lot of the time (how long does it take to figure out what’s happening with a tricky bug?).
So yes, Apple’s policies do mediate what a developer can do on behalf of the user. That’s how it works.