Apple is modifying the Full Disk Access (FDA) permission settings in macOS to address security concerns regarding AI agents. The company stated that some developers utilize this access to reach sensitive user data, including emails, messages, and browsing history, without sufficient user awareness. Apple aims to ensure users fully understand the risks before granting such broad system permissions.
The announcement follows a public incident involving Meta’s AI agent, Muse. Columnist Jason Aten reported that Muse sent him a notification based on private Apple Messages data he did not recall authorizing. While Meta CTO David Singleton claimed the agent requires two manual user permissions to access messages, Apple’s new policy suggests that current implementations of FDA may compromise privacy for both users and their contacts.
Additional scrutiny surrounds Muse following disclosures by researcher Wardle, who found a configuration flaw allowing external code to hijack the AI assistant and gain access to its resources. Furthermore, Amazon has blocked Muse from its platform, citing a need for apps to operate transparently. Apple has not explicitly named Meta or Muse in its statement, but the timing follows widespread social media criticism.
