Meta denies claim that Muse read private Mac messages without permission

In short: Meta says its Muse AI agent cannot read a person’s Mac Messages unless the person clearly turns on the right permissions, and it disputes a journalist’s claim that Muse read private messages anyway.

What happened

A journalist, Jason Aten, wrote that Meta’s Muse app on Mac read his private Messages even though a key Mac setting called Full Disk Access was turned off. Full Disk Access is a permission that can let an app read lots of files on your computer, like giving it a master key.

Meta’s vice president of communications, Andy Stone, responded that the Messages feature in Muse is “opt in.” He said Muse can only read Messages if the user enables both Full Disk Access and a separate Messages connector inside Muse.

Meta Superintelligence Labs executive David Singleton added a more detailed explanation. He said there are “three separate steps” a user must take, including confirmations inside macOS settings, and that these protections cannot be bypassed even if the app had a bug.

Aten also said Muse told him it was syncing “device notifications,” which he believed could include message previews shown as banner alerts on a Mac. Singleton disputed that too, saying the AI likely got confused and gave an incorrect explanation.

Why it matters

People are paying close attention because an AI “agent” is meant to help with tasks across your apps, and that only works if users trust what it can and cannot see. If an assistant can access private messages without clear permission, it raises privacy and safety concerns for everyday users.

Source: TechCrunch AI