Apple has announced significant updates to its macOS privacy settings designed to prevent third-party app developers from misusing these settings to access users' message histories.
This decision follows a situation highlighted by tech columnist Jason Aten, who revealed that Meta's latest AI assistant, Muse, sent him an unsolicited notification related to a private conversation he had via Apple Messages with a colleague. Aten emphasized that he had never given Muse permission to access his messages, presuming that such information was strictly off-limits. The incident sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many users agreeing that AI assistants that have access to sensitive areas like emails, calendars, and messages can operate like powerful tools - beneficial but potentially harmful if mismanaged.
Meta CTO David Singleton responded to the controversy, defending the Muse AI's functionality. He clarified that for Muse to access Apple Messages, users must explicitly grant it two permissions: full-disk access, which is a system-level permission in macOS, and activation of the Messages connector feature within Muse.
“The Messages integration in the Muse Mac app is opt-in,” Singleton stated. “Your Muse can only read Messages content if macOS system-level Full Disk Access is granted and the Messages connector is enabled.”
Singleton’s remarks insinuated that if Muse accessed Aten’s message history, it was due to voluntary user settings and not Meta's oversight.
However, security expert Patrick Wardle raised concerns regarding Singleton's assertions, arguing that with full-disk access, any non-root file—including browsing history and message conversations—could theoretically be accessed. When asked how Muse could avoid reading messages while possessing full disk access—an ability applicable to all apps granted that permission—Meta's public relations could only restate Singleton's previous comments about the opt-in nature of the Messages integration in Muse.
This ongoing dialogue raises important questions about the balance of functionality versus privacy in today's tech landscape.
