Daijiworld Media Network - Cupertino
Cupertino, Oct 3: Apple Inc. plans to introduce additional privacy controls for Mac users, warning that granting broad data access to third-party software, including artificial intelligence agents, could pose growing risks.
The company said in a statement on Friday that users who choose to grant an app “Full Disk Access” — which can provide access to system files, mail, messages and browsing history — will have to take “very explicit user action” to enable the permission.
“We are committed to ensuring users clearly understand these risks before granting such access, so they can make informed decisions about their own data and privacy,” Apple said.
The move comes as AI agents, which can perform tasks on behalf of users with limited or no human supervision, are becoming increasingly popular. OpenAI said earlier this week that more than 35 million people use its agent tools, ChatGPT Work and Codex, up from 10 million in July.
Meta Platforms Inc.'s Muse also topped app store download charts last month following its launch. Such AI agents often require broad access to users' files and applications to perform tasks.
Apple did not identify any specific software programmes or developers but said the risks associated with Full Disk Access “will grow substantially” as AI agents become more capable and autonomous.
The company said some developers have been using Full Disk Access “in ways that could put users at risk” without users having a full understanding of the implications.
Apple also highlighted the privacy implications for people communicating with users. For example, if a communication app can access all of a user's messages, the privacy of other people involved in those conversations could also be compromised.
In August, OpenAI introduced an opt-in feature for its ChatGPT Mac app that allows the AI tool to read, summarise, write and send text messages on behalf of users. The feature requires users to enable Full Disk Access so ChatGPT can obtain information from conversations stored in Apple's Messages app.
Apple's planned changes are aimed at giving Mac users greater control and clearer awareness before granting software access to sensitive information.