Apple says it will tighten Mac “Full Disk Access” because capable AI agents make the setting more dangerous
A developer-news post says some apps use it to reach files, mail, messages and browsing history without users' full understanding. Apple gives no date for the new controls.
Why it matters: The company that owns the desktop platform is changing the setup step that lets an agent read everything on a Mac, and names AI agents as the reason. Anyone building or deploying desktop agents that rely on broad file access should plan for a harder consent step.
Apple posted “Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS” on its developer news site on 2 October. Full Disk Access is a Mac setting that lets an app read nearly everything on the machine. Apple says the setting largely sidesteps the Mac's usual privacy controls so that backup apps can work properly.
The post says some developers have used it in ways that expose everything on users' systems, including files, mail, messages and even browsing history, without users' full knowledge and understanding. For communication apps, it adds, this can also compromise the privacy of the people users are communicating with.
Apple then names the reason it is acting now: “As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially.” Going forward, it says, it will introduce additional controls so that users who genuinely want to grant an app this level of access can only do so with very explicit user action. The post gives no timeline and does not say which apps are affected.
Apple's post names no company. TechCrunch reported the same day that the change followed a claim by Inc. columnist Jason Aten that Meta's Muse agent knew the content of his private messages, a claim Meta disputed. That link is TechCrunch's reporting, not Apple's.
Apple is not banning broad access: it is making it harder to grant by accident. For agent makers whose products ask for Full Disk Access at install, the practical effect will depend on controls Apple has not yet described.
- Confirmed Apple says it will introduce additional controls so that Full Disk Access can only be granted with very explicit user action; no timeline is given. Apple Developer
- Confirmed Apple's post says the risks of this level of access will grow substantially as AI agents become more capable and autonomous. Apple Developer
- Reported The post followed Inc. columnist Jason Aten's claim that Meta's Muse agent knew the content of his private messages, which Meta disputed. TechCrunch
Safety, security & governanceAgents in the wild
Lead story in the October 3, 2026 edition · front page