Apple tightens macOS full-disk access to curb AI agent misuse

Aten said he never granted Muse permissions to read his messages and had assumed they were off-limits. According to the report, social media last week filled with masses of people who agreed with Aten. Those users said the incident showed that AI assistants given access to calendars, emails, messages, shopping accounts and other resources are akin to a skill saw or another power tool. While potentially useful, they said, such tools can do real damage if not used carefully.

Meta CTO David Singleton joined the fray with a rebuttal that Ars Technica described as appearing solid. For Muse to access Apple Messages, the report said, a user must manually give it two privileges. One is full-disk access, a macOS system-level permission. The other is to enable a Messages connector setting in Muse.

Apple's stated aim is to stop third-party app developers from misusing macOS privacy settings to access message histories. The report did not say when the revised settings would take effect, which specific apps would be affected, or whether Apple had confirmed Aten's account.

The dispute involves full-disk access, described in the report as a system-level macOS permission, and a Messages connector setting in Muse. Meta's position, as reported, is that Muse would need both full-disk access and the Messages connector enabled before it could reach Apple Messages data. Aten said he did not grant those permissions.

Apple's Friday announcement did not provide a timeline for the change or name the developers or apps it was meant to constrain. The report also did not say whether Meta planned to respond to Apple's move. The article said the social media reaction last week was widespread, with many users comparing AI assistants to power tools that require caution.

Editor's Summary

Apple is changing macOS privacy settings to prevent third-party apps from misusing full-disk access to read message histories. The move follows a columnist's claim that Meta's AI agent Muse referenced his Apple Messages without permission, while Meta's CTO said two manual privileges are required for such access. The dispute highlights scrutiny of how AI agents obtain and use sensitive user data.