Apple Tightens Full-Disk Access After Meta AI Assistant Controversy

Apple says it is changing macOS privacy settings to prevent third-party app developers from misusing system permissions to access users' message histories. The announcement came two weeks after tech columnist Jason Aten reported that Meta's new general-purpose AI assistant, Muse, sent him an unsolicited notification referencing a conversation thread between him and a co-worker in Apple Messages.

Aten said he never granted Muse permission to read his messages and had assumed such access was off-limits. The incident sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many users expressing concern that AI assistants granted access to calendars, email, messages, and shopping accounts can cause real harm if not carefully controlled.

Meta's response

Meta Chief Technology Officer David Singleton responded by explaining that the Messages integration in the Muse Mac app is an opt-in feature. According to Singleton, Muse can only read Messages content if a user manually grants two separate permissions: macOS system-level full-disk access and a dedicated Messages connector setting within the app. The implication was that any such access would be the result of the user's own choices, not a failure on Meta's part.

Security expert raises doubts

macOS security researcher Patrick Wardle questioned Singleton's explanation, noting that from a technical standpoint, full-disk access makes virtually any non-root file readable — including browsing history, browser cookies, and chat archives. When asked how Muse could be prevented from reading messages given full-disk access, when other apps with the same permission can read such files, Meta's public relations team responded only by requoting Singleton's earlier statement, without providing further technical clarification.