Apple is making it harder for AI agents to reach data stored on Mac computers, according to PYMNTS.com. The company is changing how full-disk access permissions work and will flag requests for Mac data that come from AI systems, Reuters reports. The move follows complaints tied to Meta's Muse, according to Reuters.
Ars Technica reports that Apple altered the full-disk access permissions specifically to curb abuse by AI agents. Engadget frames the change as Apple raising an alarm over AI agents and the broad "full disk access" permission, while Bloomberg reports the company is tightening Mac data controls as a guard against such agents. PYMNTS.com was among the outlets to report the shift.
Full-disk access is a Mac permission that, once granted, lets an application reach files across the system rather than only in a limited folder. The reporting indicates Apple's concern centers on AI agents holding that permission and using it to pull user data. The sources do not detail the technical mechanics of the new flagging system or the specific complaints that prompted it.
What to watch next: whether Apple publishes formal developer guidance on the revised permissions, and how AI agent makers such as Meta respond to the change.
