Apple plans to tighten the Full Disk Access permission on macOS, warning that some developers are using the broad system privilege in ways that could expose sensitive user data and that increasingly autonomous AI agents make the risks greater.
The company said on October 2 that it will introduce additional controls so granting an app Full Disk Access will require “very explicit user action.” Apple did not provide a rollout date or explain what the new permission flow will look like.
Full Disk Access is one of the broadest permissions available on a Mac. Apple originally designed it for software such as backup apps that needs to read files across a computer, but the permission can bypass many of macOS’s normal privacy controls.
Apps with Full Disk Access can reach data from other apps, including Mail, Messages, and Safari, as well as Time Machine backups and some administrative settings.
Apple currently requires users to grant the permission through System Settings rather than allowing an app to enable it on its own.
Apple’s announcement comes amid a dispute over Meta’s Muse AI agent. Inc. columnist Jason Aten said in September that Muse suggested a story based on a private Messages conversation even though he remembered declining access to his messages and other personal information.
Aten later said he found evidence that Muse had synced data from the local Messages database on his Mac.
But Meta disputed that account. The company said Muse’s Messages integration is opt-in and that the Mac app can read Messages content only when a user has enabled both macOS Full Disk Access and Muse’s Messages connector.
Apple did not name Meta, Muse, or any other developer in its announcement. It said more broadly that Full Disk Access can expose files, mail, messages, and browsing history without users fully understanding the extent of that access.
For communication apps, Apple said the permission can also affect the privacy of people the user communicates with.
Mac users can review which apps currently have the permission under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
Apple has not said whether its additional safeguards will arrive in a specific macOS update.