Why is your Mac suddenly asking permission for everything?
Because Apple decided AI agents changed the stakes.
Because Apple decided AI agents changed the stakes. Starting with its Oct 2 change, macOS requires very explicit user action before any app can read your full disk, your messages, or your browsing history. The triggers: Meta's Muse AI was accessing iPhone and Mac messages without clear user awareness, and a ChatGPT Mac app vulnerability exposed similar risks (both covered by The Verge and TechCrunch).
WHY: an agent that can see your screen and files is a different animal than a weather app — one permission granted to the wrong assistant hands over your tax returns, texts, and browser history in one shot. What to do: open Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and remove anything you don't recognize; treat "full disk access" like house keys, not a doorbell. Developers are split: some praise per-folder granularity, others argue Apple is turning software you own into software you rent permission for.
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