It took just one journalist’s claim that Meta’s Muse app had read through his private messages on a Mac for Apple to tighten controls around Full Disk Access, a setting on macOS. Meta has disputed the claim, but Apple moved quickly anyway.
What the Change Actually Does
The update allows backups to keep functioning properly, but addresses a broader concern: with AI agents now capable of accessing far more on a device than before, Apple believes the risk to data privacy has grown significantly compared to what this level of access once meant.
The Muse complaint may have sped up Apple’s response, but there’s a clear pattern here too. Apple has built its brand under Tim Cook around a privacy-first approach, and the company doesn’t appear willing to let that advantage slip. Wired had separately reported on a likely flaw in ChatGPT’s Mac app that could have let hackers access sensitive data, adding to a broader set of concerns about AI apps and system-level access.
How the Controversy Started
The initial controversy traces back to Inc. columnist Jason Aten, who reported that Meta’s Muse appeared to pull information from his private messages, without, he says, specifically consenting to that use. In a detailed post on Inc.com, Aten wrote that trusting an AI agent with access to your files, apps, and personal data requires real trust, since these tools need deep access to actually be helpful. He claimed Muse accessed his data without permission and then used it to suggest things he could do, in a way he found helpful in outcome, but unethical in process.
Meta’s Response
Meta pushed back quickly. The company’s VP of Communications, Andy Stone, said Meta doesn’t believe its product behaved this way. In a post on X, he wrote: The Messages integration in the Muse app for Mac is entirely opt-in. You have to enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector for Muse to be able to read your Messages content. It can’t read your Messages unless you do this.
Apple Moves While the Debate Plays Out
While this argument played out publicly on social media, Apple moved to address the underlying issue directly. On the desktop, AI agents typically let users decide, through macOS settings, which apps get broader access to files, messages, and other personal content. Muse itself gives users the option to enable Full Disk Access in the same way.
Apple explained in a blog post that this setting grants an app permission to access files, mail, messages, and browsing history all at once. Some developers are using Full Disk Access in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems…without users’ full knowledge and understanding, the company wrote.
What’s Changing Going Forward
Apple said it will introduce new controls designed to give users better privacy by default. Anyone who genuinely wants to grant an app this extraordinary level of access will only be able to do so through an explicit, deliberate action, closing the door on looser or accidental permission grants.
Addressing this is critical. As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially. We are committed to ensuring users clearly understand these risks before granting such access, so they can make informed decisions about their own data and privacy, Apple said in the blog post.
