I am fully aware of what vpn services to use and not. I am not using Express VPN, I am simply doing research for a master thesis, when I came across these results from Express VPN. If you have any ideas or corrections, please let me know why a VPN provider would need to have access to these permissions.
Screenshot is from Exodus service, which let's you view what exactly perimissions and trackers each app uses. You can check out the results and the tool for yourself here: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.expressvpn.vpn/latest/
Mullvad is by far the best for privacy since you can literally pay with cash and all your account is is a number. No email, no phone number (unless you pay with Swish), nothing at all identifiable except your IP.
The pricing is honest and very consumer friendly, although being more expensive than average. There is no subscription, just monthly cost with no special discounts to get you to buy it "cheaper".
And they got raided by police and provided them with everything they had: Literally nothing.