Apple will require explicit approval for broad Mac file access
Apple plans additional controls around macOS Full Disk Access as AI agents gain autonomy. The permission was designed for backup software but can expose files, messages, mail and browsing history. Future access will require explicit user action. The announcement follows disputed claims about Muse reading private messages and earlier concerns involving ChatGPT’s Mac application.
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Apple ties broad access to an explicit user action
Apple plans additional controls around Full Disk Access, the macOS permission that lets an application reach a broad range of information on a Mac. The company announced the change on 2 October, citing the growing autonomy of AI agents. Apps seeking this extensive access will require very explicit action by the user. Apple wants people to understand what they are allowing before software gains access to sensitive information and begins working on their behalf. The proposed controls concern the operating system permission through which an app receives that access.[1], [2]
A backup permission can reach messages and browsing history
Full Disk Access was designed to let backup applications function properly. Apple’s usual controls separately protect different categories of private information. This broader permission largely bypasses those protections, giving software a route to files, email, messages and browsing history. Apple says some developers use it in ways that expose information without the user’s full knowledge or understanding. When a communication application receives such access, the privacy implications also extend to the people exchanging messages with that user. Their conversations form part of the information available on the computer. Apple describes these permissions as controls protecting private information across its products. It considers the expanding capability and independence of agents a reason to revisit how an application obtains this unusually broad level of access.[2]
Muse’s message access claim remains disputed
The announcement follows Inc. columnist Jason Aten’s claim that Meta’s Muse application knew the contents of private messages on his Mac although he had not granted the agent permission. Meta disputed that claim. Muse offers users the option to enable Full Disk Access, bringing the breadth of that operating system setting into the discussion. Earlier reporting also described a flaw in ChatGPT’s Mac application that could have exposed sensitive information to hackers. Apple has announced its intended permission changes without specifying a macOS version, rollout date or interface. Existing app permissions remain distinct from the further approvals the company plans to introduce.[1]
