Overview
- Apple announced on Friday that it will add new controls to macOS’s Full Disk Access setting to force clearer, deliberate consent before an app can read files, mail, messages or browsing history.
- Full Disk Access is a system-level permission that lets an app bypass normal macOS privacy safeguards so backup software can copy a whole drive, and Apple warned some developers have used it in ways that expose sensitive data without users fully understanding the risk.
- The move follows reporting that Inc. columnist Jason Aten found his Messages database synced by Meta’s Muse on a Mac and Meta’s public rebuttals that Muse’s Messages feature is strictly opt-in and requires both Full Disk Access and an app-level connector to be enabled.
- Apple gave no technical details or rollout timeline in its developer post, and developers and power users warned that vague changes could unintentionally hamper legitimate apps that rely on Full Disk Access for core functions.
- The change signals a broader shift in platform policy to curb data exposure from agentic desktop AIs and could prompt further scrutiny of how agents request and use local data as companies and regulators weigh next steps.