Apple to tighten Mac privacy controls over Full Disk Access amid AI agent concerns

Apple will tighten controls around Full Disk Access on Mac computers amid concerns over AI agent apps accessing users’ private data. The company plans clearer prompts requiring users to deliberately approve third-party access to sensitive system data.

New Delhi: Tech giant Apple has said it will tighten controls around Full Disk Access on Mac computers after a wave of AI agent apps, including Meta’s Muse, raised concerns by accessing users’ private data.

The move followed reports that some agentic apps can read broad swathes of local data — from messages to files — when granted Full Disk Access, a permission originally intended for backup and system utilities.

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Apple said it will introduce more explicit prompts, so users must take a clear, deliberate action before an application can obtain that level of access.

Such prompts will explicitly ask Mac users if they want to grant a third-party access to a specific part of their system, the company said.

“We give developers powerful APIs to build incredible capabilities into their apps for Apple products, backed by a set of controls designed to protect users’ private data. Full Disk Access largely sidesteps these controls in order to allow backup apps to function properly on the Mac,” the statement said.

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, a statement from Apple said.

“For communication apps, this can also compromise the privacy of the people users are communicating with,” it added.

The US-based firm said the risks associated with full disk access will grow substantially as AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous.

“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,” it added.

AI agents like Meta’s Muse have recently surpassed 5 million downloads, and users have complained that it is capable of carrying out complex tasks like cancelling unused subscriptions but accessing what users believed to be private messages.

Apple has recently launched Apple in India strengthening the company’s ecosystem in a market where Unified Payments Interface (UPI) accounts for over 80 per cent of digital payments volume.