Apple says it’s tightening macOS ‘Full Disk Access’ controls due to new risks from AI agents

Apple is adding extra controls to macOS’s Full Disk Access setting after fresh worries that desktop AI apps can see far too much. The change comes just days after a journalist said Meta’s Muse app on Mac had read private messages, a claim Meta disputed. It also follows a Wired report that said a flaw in ChatGPT’s Mac app could have exposed sensitive data.

Full Disk Access was built so backups and other system tasks could work properly. But Apple says AI agents have changed the risk profile. These apps can run on a user’s desktop, control actions on the system, and reach into files, messages, and other personal content if the user flips the right switches.

Apple spelled out how broad that access can be. In Muse’s case, the app can optionally ask for Full Disk Access, which Apple says can open files, mail, messages, and even browsing history. In a blog post aimed at developers, the company warned that some developers are using that permission in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems without full understanding.

Going forward, Apple says users who really want to grant that “extraordinary level of access” will have to take “very explicit user action.” The company says the point is to make the risks obvious before access is granted, not after something has already gone wrong. Apple did not respond to TechCrunch’s question about the change.

The timing is telling. Desktop AI is moving fast, and the permission model underneath it still looks like it was designed for a different era. Apple is finally forcing the issue, which is better than pretending a chatbot with your messages is just another ordinary app.