Apple tightens Mac data access as AI agent privacy risks grow

Apple says it will add stricter controls around Full Disk Access in macOS as increasingly autonomous AI agents begin requesting access to files, mail, messages and browsing history.

Full Disk Access is becoming a bigger risk

Unlike iOS and iPadOS, macOS can allow an application to access nearly all user data through Full Disk Access when permission is granted. Apple says some developers are using that capability in ways that may expose more information than users fully understand.

Apple wants more explicit consent

Apple says future macOS controls will require much more explicit user action before an application can receive this level of access. The company argues that the issue becomes more serious as AI agents gain the ability to inspect data and take actions across multiple applications.

Meta Muse complaints pushed the issue into public view

The announcement came after complaints about Meta’s Muse agent, including claims that it accessed private Messages content on Macs. Meta disputed the characterization and said Muse can only read Messages if a user enables both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector.

The privacy problem is larger than one agent

Apple’s warning is aimed at the broader category of AI agents, not only Muse. A persistent agent with broad disk access can potentially see email databases, chat history, browser data, documents and other information that was never intended to be part of one AI workflow.

Practical significance

As AI agents move from chat into operating systems, permission design becomes part of AI safety. Users need to understand not just what an agent can do, but exactly which local data it can inspect before any action is taken.

Apple announced the change in an official developer notice . Reuters reported the change in the context of complaints surrounding Meta Muse.

Source: Apple