Safety and security
Apple will ask for a clearer yes before letting an AI read your whole Mac
Apple will change the macOS permission that lets an app read files, email and messages. It is not banning it: the user will have to grant it with a clear action. Apple puts the change down to the risk posed by AI agents.
The essentials
2 confirmed facts · 2 according to the source · 3 open questions
- On October 2, Apple announced new controls on "full disk access" in macOS, and it says the reason is the risk posed by AI agents.123
- That permission lets an app see files, email, messages and browsing history. Users will still be able to grant it, but only through a very explicit action.12
- According to the sourceColumnist Jason Aten says that Muse, Meta's AI agent, knew what was in his messages even though he had not given it permission.13
- According to the sourceMeta disputes this: according to the company, Muse only reads messages if the user turns on two separate permissions by hand.23
Why it matters
That permission was designed to make backups work, not for AI programs that read files and act on their own on the computer1. Apple says some developers use it in a way that exposes the whole system without the user fully understanding it1. This suggests the problem goes beyond one particular app.
If you use an AI assistant on your Mac and have given it full disk access, it can see your files, your email, your messages and your history. Once the change arrives, granting that permission will take a clearer step.
The details
The announcement follows a controversy over Muse, Meta's AI agent. Jason Aten, a columnist at Inc., reported that Muse knew the contents of his messages even though he had not given it permission1. Meta denies this: according to its chief technology officer, David Singleton, the user has to turn on two things by hand, full disk access and a Messages option inside Muse3.
News outlets are not describing the change in the same way. The Verge talks about new limits2. TechCrunch corrected its story to make clear that this is not a new limit, but a way of making sure users give consent knowing what they are doing1. The sources do not say what the controls will look like or when they will arrive. Apple did not respond to TechCrunch's questions1.
What we don't know
- When the new controls will arrive and exactly what they will look like.
- Whether they will affect apps that have already been granted that permission.
- What really happened in Jason Aten's case: his account and Meta's contradict each other.
Sources
- 1Apple says it’s tightening macOS ‘Full Disk Access’ controls due to new risks from AI agents
- 2Apple will limit Mac disk access as AI agents ‘substantially’ increase risk
- 3Apple changes full-disk access permissions to curb abuse from AI agents
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This story was written in Spanish by an artificial intelligence system from the sources listed above, and translated automatically. Before publication, a program checks that every figure and every name appears in the sources, and that the translation keeps the same facts, figures and sources. It has not been reviewed by a person. Spanish original · How we work (in Spanish)