Apple Inc. said it plans to introduce new privacy controls for Mac users, warning of the growing risks around granting broad data access to third-party software, including artificial intelligence agents. The iPhone maker will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who want to grant an app “Full Disk Access” — meaning full access to their system files, mail, messages and browsing history — can only do so “with very explicit user action,” it said in a statement Friday.
“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,” the company said.
AI agents — artificial intelligence tools that can act on users' behalf without human supervision — have been surging in popularity. OpenAI said earlier this week more than 35 million people use its agent tools, ChatGPT Work and Codex. That's up from 10 million in July. Meta Platforms Inc.'s Muse, meanwhile, topped app store download charts last month after it debuted. These agents often require users to grant broad access to personal files and apps in order for them to work as intended.
Apple didn't name specific programs or developers in its statement, but said that “the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially” as “AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous.”
The company said that some developers have been using Full Disk Access “in ways that could put users at risk” without their “full knowledge and understanding.” For communication apps, having access to all of users' messages could also compromise the privacy of people users are corresponding with, it added.
In August, OpenAI released an opt-in feature for the ChatGPT Mac app that lets it read, summarise, write and send text messages on users' behalf. The tool requires users to enable Full Disk Access so it can obtain information about conversations from the Apple Messages app.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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