Apple modifications full-disk entry permissions to curb abuse from AI brokers

Apple says it’s altering its macOS privateness settings to cease third-party app builders from misusing them to entry message histories.

Friday’s announcement comes two weeks after tech columnist Jason Aten mentioned that Meta’s new general-purpose AI agent Muse despatched him an unsolicited notification referencing a thread between him and a co-worker over Apple Messages. Aten mentioned he by no means granted Muse permissions to learn his messages and had assumed they have been off-limits. Social media final week blew up with plenty of people that agreed and mentioned the incident confirmed that AI assistants given entry to calendars, emails, messages, buying accounts, and different sources are akin to a talent noticed or different energy software. Whereas doubtlessly helpful, they’ll do actual harm if not used fastidiously.

He mentioned/she mentioned

Meta CTO David Singleton joined the fray with a rebuttal that appeared stable. For Muse to entry Apple Messages, a person should manually give it two privileges. One is full-disk entry, a macOS system-level permission. The opposite is to allow a Messages connector setting in Muse.

“The Messages integration within the Muse Mac app is choose in,” Singleton mentioned. “Your Muse can solely learn Messages content material if macOS system-level Full Disk Entry is granted and the Messages connector is enabled.”

Singleton’s implication was clear. Muse might have learn Aten’s Messages communications provided that he had enabled each settings, and if that’s the case, the columnist had solely himself—and definitely not Meta—accountable.

Earlier this week, I spoke to macOS safety skilled Patrick Wardle, who questioned Singleton’s denial. His reasoning: “From a technical viewpoint, with FDA (full-disk entry), any (non-root file), is readable, searching historical past, browser cookies, chats, and so on and so on and so on.” I requested Meta how Muse couldn’t learn messages when the app had full disk entry, whereas each different app with that privilege might. Meta PR’s solely response was to requote Singleton saying: “The Messages integration within the Muse Mac App is opt-in. Your Muse can solely learn Messages content material if macOS system-level Full Disk Entry is granted and the Messages connector is enabled.”