What Apple said
On October 2 Apple published "Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS" on its developer news page. The post acknowledges that Full Disk Access largely sidesteps the controls macOS normally uses to protect private data, and that it exists so backup apps can function. But some developers now use it in ways that could expose everything on a system, including files, mail, messages and browsing history, without users' full knowledge and understanding. For communication apps, the people users talk to are affected too.
Apple's answer is additional controls, so that users who genuinely want to grant this "extraordinary level of access" can only do so with "very explicit user action." The post adds one pointed line: as AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks of this level of access will grow substantially.
Why now
The post names no products. TechCrunch and other outlets connect it to two recent events: Inc. columnist Jason Aten said Meta's Muse Mac app read his private messages even though he thought he had denied that permission, which Meta disputes, and Wired reported a flaw in ChatGPT's Mac app that could have let attackers read sensitive user data. Apple has not confirmed any direct link between those events and the announcement.
What it means
Apple is not banning apps from requesting the permission; backup and disk-analysis tools still legitimately need it. But the rollout date, macOS version and exact flow are unannounced, and media reports that already-authorized apps will have to ask again are not confirmed by Apple. Developers of Mac AI agents that rely on Full Disk Access should work out now which features don't actually need to read the whole disk and move them to folder- or file-level access. Ordinary users can open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and check which apps are on the list.
via: Apple developer news, TechCrunch report, Engadget report