Apple is preparing to make Mac users take a more deliberate step before handing an app what it calls “extraordinary” access to their personal data. In an update published on 2 October 2026, the company said it would add controls around Full Disk Access, a macOS permission that lets applications reach files, mail, messages and browsing history.
The permission was originally designed for backup applications, which need broad access to work across a computer’s storage. Yet Full Disk Access also largely sidesteps Apple’s standard privacy protections for private data. Apple said some developers have used it in ways that could put users at risk, exposing files, mail, messages and browsing history without users’ full knowledge and understanding.
The company said the arrival of increasingly capable artificial intelligence agents has made that access more consequential. Tools including OpenClaw and Dots are gaining popularity, and an AI agent with broad access to a user’s files, messages, mail and browsing history could expose particularly sensitive information. Apple warned that Full Disk Access “can also compromise the privacy of the people users are communicating with”.
Apple said it would introduce additional controls so that people who want to give an application Full Disk Access can do so only through “very explicit user action”. The company stressed that users should understand the privacy trade-offs before allowing AI agents into personal data. It did not set out how the new confirmation system would work technically, what interface it would use, or whether existing grants of Full Disk Access would be affected.
The change addresses a permission with a clear practical purpose and a sizeable downside. Backup and utility software may need comprehensive access to operate, while the same permission can give other software a route around protections intended to limit access to private material. Apple’s description of the access as “extraordinary” reflects the scale of that distinction.
Concerns over AI tools accessing private communications have already surfaced. Columnist Jason Aten reported that Meta Muse accessed private messages without permission. Meta disputed his account. The available information does not establish the scale or scope of the reported access.
Some Mac users are already separating AI agents from their main computers by buying dedicated machines. Mac Mini shortages have occurred this year because of demand for secure computing environments for AI agents. That response shows how some users are treating the software as powerful enough to merit physical separation from their regular files and accounts.
Apple’s announcement does not identify which applications currently have Full Disk Access on user systems, nor does it say how many people may have been affected by developers’ misuse of the permission. It also leaves open the technical details of the stricter approval process. What is clear from the update is that Apple intends to put a more conspicuous decision in front of users before an app, particularly an AI agent, can gain broad access to the contents of a Mac.
Comments (0)