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Apple to tighten macOS Full Disk Access amid AI agent risks

In an Oct. 2 developer note, Apple said new controls will require very explicit user action before apps get broad access to files, mail, messages and browsing history.

Motion Media News Staff

Oct 3, 2026

2 minutes

Aerial photograph of Apple Park’s circular main building and surrounding campus at sunset.

Photo: Nils Huenerfuerst (CC0 1.0), via Wikimedia Commons (source)

Apple said Friday it will add tighter gates around macOS Full Disk Access, pointing to rising dangers as desktop AI agents grow more capable, according to an Apple Developer news post dated Oct. 2, 2026.

The permission was built so backup software can see what it needs on a Mac, Apple wrote. The company said some developers now use it in forms that can expose a user’s files, mail, messages and browsing history without clear awareness, and that communication apps can also put contacts’ privacy at stake.

Apple wrote that future controls will let people who truly want to give an app that broad reach do so “only” through “very explicit user action.” It added that as AI agents grow more capable and autonomous, “the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially.” Apple gave no ship date and named no products, TechCrunch and MacRumors reported.

Why the change is landing now

TechCrunch tied the timing to an Inc. columnist’s claim that Meta’s Muse app on Mac knew the content of private messages — a claim Meta disputed. TechCrunch said Muse can optionally ask for Full Disk Access and that Meta described Messages access as opt-in. The Verge, citing TechCrunch’s earlier reporting, said Apple is adding limits so users who want that reach have to take a very explicit step.

TechCrunch also noted a recent Wired report describing a security bug in OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac that, Wired said, could have exposed sensitive data to attackers. Apple did not answer TechCrunch’s questions about the change, the outlet said. Desktop agents often ask users to open System Settings and grant broad file access so they can read local content, draft replies or act across apps; Apple’s note frames Full Disk Access as an “extraordinary” privilege that backup tools still need but that agent-style apps can misuse if users do not understand the scope.

What's next

Apple has not posted technical docs or a calendar for the new Full Disk Access gates. Developers and Mac owners will see the exact prompts and settings when the company ships them. Until then, Full Disk Access still appears in System Settings as described in Apple’s Oct. 2 developer note, and third-party agents that rely on it will keep working under today’s rules.