Key facts
- Apple will introduce additional controls for macOS Full Disk Access.
- The controls aim to ensure users explicitly grant apps extraordinary data access.
- Apple cited risks from increasingly capable and autonomous AI agents.
- Meta disputed claims that its Muse AI agent accessed private messages without explicit user consent.
Apple is enhancing privacy safeguards for Mac users by implementing stricter controls on the "Full Disk Access" feature within its macOS operating system. This move addresses concerns that increasingly capable AI agents could exploit this permission to access sensitive user data without full user awareness.
The company stated that some applications have been using Full Disk Access in ways that pose risks to users, potentially exposing files, emails, private messages, and browsing history. Going forward, Apple will require "very explicit user action" for apps to obtain this extensive level of access.