Apple is set to significantly strengthen privacy measures in the macOS operating system following a major scandal involving Meta's new AI assistant, Muse. The catalyst for emergency action by the Cupertino tech giant was a serious vulnerability in user data protection that sparked outrage among security experts and ordinary Mac owners.
Background of the Meta AI Scandal
The foundation for Apple's radical steps was a public statement by prominent tech columnist Jason Aten. The journalist reported a shocking fact: Meta's newest AI assistant, Muse, sent him a personal notification containing a direct link to his private correspondence with an Apple Messages colleague. Aten explicitly emphasized that he had never granted the program any permissions to scan, read, or analyze his personal message history.
Contradictory Data
During the escalating public dispute, the parties presented diametrically opposed versions of events. Meta CTO David Singleton rushed to claim that reading confidential messages is supposedly an exclusively voluntary option requiring the user to manually enable relevant system features. However, renowned macOS security expert Patrick Wardle flatly refuted these claims, proving that the standard Full Disk Access feature technically allows third-party software to unhinderedly read any files in the system, including browser history and encrypted chats. Apple itself indirectly confirmed a critical security issue, noting developer abuse of system privileges.
Response Measures and Industry Reaction
Responding to growing threats regarding the autonomy of modern intelligent systems, Apple announced plans to introduce fundamentally new control elements. Computer owners will now receive highly detailed and transparent warnings about potential risks before granting third-party software extended access rights. It is worth noting that Amazon previously blocked the Muse assistant on its own platform due to serious violations of client service rules, highlighting the systemic nature of security issues with Meta's new product.
