Apple to tighten macOS 'Full Disk Access' controls amid AI agent risks
Apple announced plans to add stricter controls around macOS's 'Full Disk Access' setting, citing growing risks from AI agents accessing users' personal data. The move follows reports involving Meta's Muse app and a security flaw in ChatGPT's Mac app.
Apple has announced it will introduce additional controls around the macOS setting known as "Full Disk Access," citing growing risks posed by AI agents operating on desktop computers.
The setting was originally designed to let backup tools function properly, but Apple says AI agents have substantially increased the risks tied to this level of system access.
Background
The announcement follows a claim from a journalist that Meta's Muse app on Mac had read his private messages, despite his assertion that he never granted it permission to do so. Meta has disputed that claim. Separately, Wired reported on a flaw in ChatGPT's Mac app that could have allowed hackers to access sensitive user data.
Full Disk Access grants an app permission to reach files, mail, messages, and even browsing history. Apple said some developers have been using this access in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems without users fully understanding what they were agreeing to.
What's changing
In a blog post directed at developers, Apple said it will roll out new controls designed to ensure that users who genuinely want to grant an app this level of access can only do so through a very explicit, deliberate action.
The company stated that as AI agents grow more capable and autonomous, the risks tied to this kind of access will increase substantially, and it is committed to making sure users clearly understand those risks before granting such permissions.
Apple did not respond to TechCrunch's request for further comment on the policy change.
