GoKawiilApple to restrict Full Disk Access permission after Meta Muse messages controversy
Apple said Friday it is overhauling macOS privacy settings that let third-party apps with Full Disk Access read users' message histories. The change follows reports that Meta's Muse AI assistant surfaced content from a user's Apple Messages conversation, prompting a dispute between Meta and security researchers over whether that required explicit user consent beyond granting system-level file access.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The episode exposed that macOS's Full Disk Access permission, once granted for any reason, effectively lets an app read nearly any file including private chat logs, a gap security researcher Patrick Wardle says undermines claims that such access is safely gated by app-level toggles. Apple's move suggests growing pressure to tighten controls specifically because AI agents are increasingly granted broad system permissions to perform tasks, raising the stakes of any single overly permissive setting.
- Apple is changing macOS Full Disk Access permissions to prevent apps from misusing them to read message histories
- The move follows a dispute over Meta's Muse AI agent allegedly accessing a user's Apple Messages without clear consent
- Security researchers argue Full Disk Access inherently exposes far more data than companies' app-level opt-ins suggest
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-10-02
Published there as: “Apple changes full-disk access permissions to curb abuse from AI agents”
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