Suspicious permission: Read browser history and bookmarks

[znpd]

Hello everyone,
I want to ask some questions regarding a permission which I think raises privacy issues.

There are many apps that can read your browser(s) history and bookmarks.

Here's one:
https://pli.io/2mKjPy.jpg

A launcher (in the above image) reading browser history and bookmarks is quite suspicious. After seeing some apps needing this permission, I am more cautious and I avoid installing such apps.

I installed some permission check apps and only one of them: "aSpotCat" displayed apps using the "read your browser(s) history and bookmarks" permission. Here's the screenshot:
https://pli.io/2mKpgO.jpg

Note: The red colored filled rectangle in the above image is actually an antivirus app which I guess uses the permission to scan and prevent infected webpages.

So, here are some questions:
1. Is "read your browser history and bookmarks" permission applicable for all browsers? (For eg: a browser reading all other browsers' history and bookmarks or any other non-browser app reading all browsers' history and bookmarks)
2. Is it safe to have system apps (some of them in the screenshot) read your browser history and bookmarks?
3. Any way to deny this permission for system apps as they can't be uninstalled (and some can't even be disabled - eg: Camera test app)?
4. When does any app having this permission can actually read browser history and bookmarks (when the app is running or even when a background service of the app is running)?
5. Last and the most important question: Can the apps having this permission actually "send" the browser(s) history and bookmarks back to a server?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mark89506]

Well znpd, you pose an interesting and somewhat complicated set of questions. bear with me about an hour and i will do my best to answer all of your inquiries in one reply, as opposed to stringing the answers along.

I will post my reply shortly, as I am not familiar with the exact app and wish to review first

Mark