Apple is preparing to introduce stronger controls on its Mac computers to make it clearer when artificial intelligence agents request access to large amounts of personal data stored on a device.
The planned changes come amid growing concerns over how increasingly powerful AI agents interact with users’ private information, following criticism surrounding Meta’s Muse, an AI tool designed to perform complex tasks on behalf of users.
Some users have alleged that Muse accessed private messages on their Macs, raising questions about how AI agents handle sensitive information.
Unlike Apple’s iPhone and iPad operating systems, where apps are generally prevented from accessing data belonging to other apps through a system known as sandboxing, Mac computers offer more flexibility.
One of the permissions available on Macs is “Full Disk Access”, which allows applications such as cloud backup services to access data across a computer after the user grants permission.
Apple said some developers were using the permission in ways that could expose users to privacy risks.
The company said it would introduce additional safeguards to ensure users are fully aware of what they are allowing when granting applications such extensive access.
“Going forward, we will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action,” Apple said.
The company also warned that the risks could become greater as AI agents become more capable of operating independently and performing tasks without constant human supervision.
“As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially,” Apple said.
Apple added that users should clearly understand the privacy implications before granting applications access to large amounts of information.
The move follows concerns raised by technology columnist Jason Aten, who accused Meta’s Muse of accessing private messages on his Mac. Aten said he had not enabled Full Disk Access for the AI tool.
Meta disputed the claim, insisting that Muse cannot access a user’s messages without specific permissions being granted.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said users must enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector before Muse can read content from Apple’s Messages application.
“You have to enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector for Muse to be able to read your Messages content,” Stone said.
He added that access could be withdrawn by users at any time.
The dispute has highlighted the growing privacy challenges surrounding AI agents that can perform tasks across different applications and access information stored on users’ devices.
As these systems become more autonomous, technology companies are facing increasing pressure to ensure users have clear control over what information AI tools can access.
Apple did not provide additional details beyond its statement, while Meta had not immediately responded to further questions about the issue.
