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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.
Apple announced it will tighten controls on macOS's Full Disk Access setting, which lets apps read files, mail, messages and browsing history. The move follows reports that Meta's Muse app on Mac could optionally use this permission, with a journalist alleging it read private messages — a claim Meta disputed.
Apple says it will add new safeguards governing Full Disk Access on macOS, a permission that lets apps bypass normal privacy protections to read files, mail, messages, and browsing history. The company says some developers currently use this access in ways that could expose user data, and in communication apps, the data of people users talk to as well. Apple states that going forward, users will need to take explicit action before granting apps this level of access.
Apple announced it is adding new safeguards to macOS's Full Disk Access permission system to address risks from AI agents like OpenClaw, Dots and Muse. The company said some developers grant themselves broad access to files, mail, messages and browsing history without users fully understanding the tradeoff, and pledged 'additional controls' without specifying a rollout date or exact changes.
Apple published a developer blog post saying it will introduce additional controls on macOS governing the Full Disk Access permission, which grants apps broad access to files, mail, messages and browsing history. The company said some developers are using this permission in risky ways and that users should have to take explicit action before granting it, though it did not detail the specific changes.
Apple announced it will introduce additional controls around macOS's 'Full Disk Access' setting, which currently lets apps read files, mail, messages and browsing history. The company said AI agents running on desktops have heightened the risks of this access, and it will require more explicit user action before granting it. The move follows reports that Meta's Muse app appeared to access a journalist's private messages, and a separate Wired report on a flaw in ChatGPT's Mac app.
Apple announced it will add new restrictions to macOS's Full Disk Access permission, requiring explicit user action before apps can gain that level of system access. The company said some developers currently use the permission in ways that expose files, mail, messages and browsing history without users fully understanding the scope of access granted. Apple did not specify a rollout timeline for the change.
Meta VP Andy Stone rejected a journalist's claim, reported by Inc.'s Jason Aten, that its Muse AI agent accessed a user's private Messages without permission. Stone said the Messages integration in Muse for Mac is opt-in, requiring users to separately enable Full Disk Access and a Messages connector. Meta Superintelligence Labs executive David Singleton added that three layers of app- and macOS-level permissions must be explicitly granted before Muse can read messages.