Mobile banking app asks for permission to scan all files

Mobile apps are increasingly asking for permissions they don't really need, presumably because most users grant these permissions without really thinking about it.

The latest installment of this is my bank's new mobile app asking for permission to read/write to all files on the device - allegedly just to "scan for malware".

If you refuse permission, the banking app just refuses to work. You cannot check a box saying that you'll accept liability if there is malware on your device that results in loss.

I feel that this behavior makes a mockery of the notion of giving "permission". Apps have far too much bargaining power - the app effectively holds a gun to your head and demands to see all your files. What does it do with them? Does it use the results to gain insight into your potential creditworthiness? Does it sell some kind of fingerprint of your device files as an extra income stream? I have no way of knowing.

This kind of thing is becoming more common and I wish Apple and Google would crack down on it - ban apps that won't work unless the user gives certain permissions. Alternatively I'd like to see "fake" permissions that give an app access to a fake filesystem or to a fake camera/microphone.