Apple said Friday it will add new limits to Full Disk Access on Macs, citing risks from AI agents, 24 days after Meta launched its Muse app.
Key Points:
- Apple plans extra controls before a Mac app can receive Full Disk Access, but it has set no release date.
- The notice followed a columnist's claim that Meta's Muse agent read his private texts, which Meta disputes.
- Apple said the risks will grow as AI agents become more capable and autonomous.
Apple Full Disk Access Limits
The company said in a notice to developers that Full Disk Access, a macOS permission built for backup software, largely sidesteps the privacy controls that apply to other apps.
Some developers now use it in ways that expose everything on a system, including files, mail, messages and browsing history, "without users' full knowledge and understanding," Apple wrote. Communication apps can also expose the people a user talks to, it added.
Apple plans additional controls so that users who genuinely want to grant an app this level of access can do so only "with very explicit user action." The company gave no release date and no technical details, but said it wants users to clearly understand the risks before they grant such access.
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Meta Muse Messages Dispute
The notice followed a column in which technology writer Jason Aten reported that Muse had accessed his private texts, even though he declined message access when he set up the app. Aten said it pitched a column idea drawn from texts with his podcast co-host. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone countered that the Messages integration is opt-in and works only after a user enables both Full Disk Access and a separate Messages connector.
Apple did not name any company in its notice.
It did write that the risks tied to this access "will grow substantially" as AI agents become more capable and autonomous, and it called addressing them critical. Apple-focused writer John Voorhees warned that the announcement is vague and could end up restricting ordinary Mac utilities that depend on the same permission. His own launcher, file manager and image editor already hold the permission, he said.
AI Agent Security Record
Desktop agents such as Muse, OpenAI's Dots and OpenClaw often request Full Disk Access so they can retrieve files, messages and other data on a user's behalf. OpenAI recently fixed a flaw in its ChatGPT Mac app that researchers at the Objective-See Foundation said could let attackers reach chat histories, run commands and pull data from other apps.
Meta built Muse inside its Superintelligence Labs unit, whose first model arrived in April, and released the agent on Sept. 8 in the U.S. and Canada. The app reached No. 1 on the U.S. App Store 10 days later. Third-party trackers estimated its downloads at 2.3 million to 4.3 million by late September.
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