Apple Updates macOS Privacy Settings to Enhance User Security

<p>Apple announced that it is modifying its macOS privacy settings to prevent third-party app developers from misusing permissions to access message histories. This announcement was made on October 2, 2026.</p><p>The decision follows a report by tech columnist Jason Aten, who stated that Meta’s new AI agent, Muse, sent him an unsolicited notification referencing a conversation he had via Apple Messages. Aten claimed he had not granted Muse permission to access his messages, believing they were secure. The incident prompted widespread discussion on social media, with many users expressing concerns about the potential risks of AI assistants that have access to personal information such as calendars, emails, and messages.</p><h2>Response from Meta</h2><p>Meta's Chief Technology Officer David Singleton responded to the situation, clarifying that for Muse to access Apple Messages, users must manually grant two specific permissions: full-disk access, which is a system-level permission in macOS, and a Messages connector setting within Muse.</p>