Isn't it Web 1.5-ish? E.g., we have browsers but devs aren't satisfied with them as app platforms, so they use various techniques (in “original” web 1.5, applets or plugins or downloading a file that would be opened by a native app) to use web links to trigger running an app in a native, or at least more-to-the-devs-liking, environment rather than using web-native tech?

I assumed they just want notifcation permissions to spam people that don't know how to turn it off, so they can hijack their attention, and location permissions to make their ads more valuable through spying.

That and your contact list, phone call history, sms history, etc. Gotta build that relationship tree!

The World Wide Dots, rather than web.