Apple has announced changes to its macOS privacy settings aimed at preventing third-party app developers from misusing full-disk access to access users' message histories. This decision follows a recent incident involving Meta's AI agent, Muse, which sent a tech columnist an unsolicited notification referencing a private conversation.
Background
On Friday, Apple revealed its plans to modify full-disk access permissions. This announcement comes two weeks after tech columnist Jason Aten reported that Muse had accessed his Apple Messages without his consent. Aten believed that his messages were off-limits and had not granted Muse permission to read them.
The situation sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many users expressing concerns about the potential risks associated with AI assistants that have access to sensitive information like calendars, emails, and messages. Users likened these AI tools to power tools that can cause significant harm if not used responsibly.
Meta's Response
In response to the uproar, Meta's CTO David Singleton defended Muse, stating that for the AI to access Apple Messages, users must manually enable two specific permissions: full-disk access and a Messages connector setting within Muse. Singleton emphasized:
“"The Messages integration in the Muse Mac app is opt-in. Your Muse can only read Messages content if macOS system-level Full Disk Access is granted and the Messages connector is enabled."
