❯ Apple will tighten macOS Full Disk Access, saying AI agents make the permission riskier

Explicit action requiredAccording to TechCrunch, Apple says it will add new controls around macOS’s Full Disk Access permission, so that apps can obtain it only after “very explicit user action.” Apple says the risks tied to this level of access will grow substantially as AI agents become more capable and autonomous. It has not given a date for the new rules.

One permission, the whole computerFull Disk Access is the broadest permission in macOS. An app that has it can read a user’s files, mail, messages and browsing history. Apple says some developers are using it in ways that could expose everything on a system without users fully understanding what they agreed to.

Two cases in the backgroundAccording to The National, users had complained that Meta’s AI agent Muse read private messages without permission. OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac launched a plug-in on August 20 that can read and send iMessages, which also requires this permission, and according to WIRED it patched a security flaw last month.

One more gate for agent makersAn AI agent that handles email and organizes files has to see that data. With Apple raising the bar for consent, installing desktop agents from Meta, OpenAI and others becomes more cumbersome, and some users will drop out at that step. Whether Apple’s own AI features face the same limits will determine whether this is a security measure or a platform advantage.

▪ SIGNALAI agents want to see everything, while operating-system security is built on granting only what is necessary, and one of the two will eventually have to give.