"Largely sidesteps these controls." That's Apple describing its own Full Disk Access setting in its own developer announcement. 😬
The setting exists so backup apps can copy everything on your Mac (which makes perfect sense, since a backup that skips your mail is pretty much worthless). The problem is that a door cut for the backup guy is just as easily opened for anyone else who turns up with the key. Apple has confirmed that some developers have used it to access your files, mail, messages, and browsing history without you realizing what you'd agreed to.
Now, add to that the always-on AI agents like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots, which, as the article points out, have already raised privacy concerns. An agent that's always watching what you do and acting on your behalf is going to want it all. Apple's note on the communication apps also includes a line stating that this level of access could, in fact, compromise the privacy of the people you're communicating with. The friend on the other end of that text thread didn't even click 'Allow'. 🤦
Apple's answer is to require "very explicit user action" before anyone can grant that access, and they haven't said when that will ship. It helps. We've spent years teaching people to click through permission boxes to get to what they actually wanted, and a more intrusive box isn't going to go very far. The real control lies with whoever decides which apps get installed in the first place.
If you're running IT for a company that has Macs, find out this week which apps currently have Full Disk Access on your people's machines, and where you stand with AI agents, before your staff does. On your own Mac, open Privacy settings and check that list.
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/02/apple-announces-macos-full-disk-access-changes
#Cybersecurity #AI #DataPrivacy #Apple #macOS #AIAgents #InfoSec #RiskManagement #CISO #Leadership #security #privacy #cloud #infosec
