Apple said on October 2 that it will add stricter controls to one of the Mac's broadest privacy permissions, arguing that increasingly capable AI agents have made the sweeping access far riskier than it once was.
The permission in question is Full Disk Access. On Apple's Macs — which, unlike iPhones and iPads, do not sandbox every app from every other app's data — the setting lets software read across a machine, including files, mail, messages and browsing history. It was designed for tools such as cloud backup services that need system-wide access to work properly.
Apple said some developers are now using the permission in ways that could put users at risk. "Going forward, we will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action," the company wrote in a post on its developer news site.
Why AI agents changed the calculation
Apple tied the move directly to agentic AI. "As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially," the company wrote, adding that it wants users to clearly understand what they are granting before they agree.
The announcement follows controversy around Meta's Muse, an AI agent that performs tasks such as cancelling subscriptions and haggling over prices. Inc magazine technology columnist Jason Aten accused Muse of reading private messages on his Mac without him enabling Full Disk Access — a claim Meta disputed. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said last week that Muse's access to the Messages app is strictly opt-in, requiring both Full Disk Access and a separate Messages connector, and that access can be revoked at any time.
What we don't know yet
Apple's post gave no date or macOS version for the new controls, and named no developer or app. The company declined to comment beyond its post, while Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
Still, the message to the industry is clear: the era of one-time, all-seeing permissions is ending, and AI agents will have to justify their access step by step.
Sources: Apple to flag AI data access on Macs for user privacy — The Straits Times · Apple to Tighten macOS Full Disk Access, Citing AI Agent Risks — Unite.AI
The permission in question is Full Disk Access. On Apple's Macs — which, unlike iPhones and iPads, do not sandbox every app from every other app's data — the setting lets software read across a machine, including files, mail, messages and browsing history. It was designed for tools such as cloud backup services that need system-wide access to work properly.
Apple said some developers are now using the permission in ways that could put users at risk. "Going forward, we will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action," the company wrote in a post on its developer news site.
Why AI agents changed the calculation
Apple tied the move directly to agentic AI. "As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially," the company wrote, adding that it wants users to clearly understand what they are granting before they agree.
The announcement follows controversy around Meta's Muse, an AI agent that performs tasks such as cancelling subscriptions and haggling over prices. Inc magazine technology columnist Jason Aten accused Muse of reading private messages on his Mac without him enabling Full Disk Access — a claim Meta disputed. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said last week that Muse's access to the Messages app is strictly opt-in, requiring both Full Disk Access and a separate Messages connector, and that access can be revoked at any time.
What we don't know yet
Apple's post gave no date or macOS version for the new controls, and named no developer or app. The company declined to comment beyond its post, while Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
Still, the message to the industry is clear: the era of one-time, all-seeing permissions is ending, and AI agents will have to justify their access step by step.
Sources: Apple to flag AI data access on Macs for user privacy — The Straits Times · Apple to Tighten macOS Full Disk Access, Citing AI Agent Risks — Unite.AI
