Why does usb-creator-gtk require root access?

Question

When you want to create a bootable usb memory stick, then you must identify as a sudoer. Why is that? I have no difficulty understanding why unprivileged users shouldn't be allowed to fiddle with the installed system, but why shouldn't you be allowed to copy grub onto the memory stick if you have write access to it?

Answer 1

Policy Kit foresees the following actions related to Usb Creator

$ pkaction --verbose | grep -A1 '\.usb' | less
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.bootloader:
  description:       Install the bootloader
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.format:
  description:       Format the device
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.image:
  description:       Image the device
--
com.ubuntu.usbcreator.mount:
  description:       Mount a device

These are actions that only root can execute, given that block devices are owned by root.

Answer 2

It needs to to format the USB drive, and access the device through /dev/sdx. So it needs root privileges.