Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Apple’s plan to tighten “Full Disk Access” permissions in macOS is reigniting long‑running tensions between usability, security, and user control. Many welcome finer‑grained safeguards to keep backup tools, AI agents, and third‑party apps from silently reading mail, messages, or browsing history, especially for non‑technical users. Others fear growing paternalism and a trajectory toward iOS‑style lockdown, where powerful utilities, terminals, and developer workflows become harder to use or depend increasingly on Apple’s approval.

Overall Reaction to New Full Disk Access Changes

  • Many welcome finer‑grained controls, especially given abuses like AI agents slurping user data.
  • Others fear the changes will be a step toward iOS‑style lockdown and make macOS more annoying and less “general purpose.”
  • Several note macOS 27 already shows these changes (e.g., prompts when apps read other apps’ data).

Security, Privacy, and User Protection

  • Strong support for treating third‑party apps as adversarial, including “reputable” vendors and AI tools.
  • Some argue users can’t reliably understand or manage “Full Disk Access” and need guardrails.
  • Others insist adults should be allowed to grant true full access if they want, warning against paternalism.
  • Concern that only large, Apple‑blessed apps may end up allowed to do things like full system backups.

Permissions Fatigue and UX Concerns

  • Many complain macOS is already “prompt hell” (disks, folders, screen recording, input monitoring, etc.).
  • Fear that more granularity will mean even more popups, which users will blindly approve anyway.
  • Desire for “allow once” options and clearer, task‑specific prompts (e.g., “read window titles” vs. “screen recording”).

Implications for Developers, Terminals, and AI Agents

  • Developers report friction running their own apps (quarantine, notarization, digging through settings).
  • Terminal apps with FDA implicitly grant FDA to any shell command or AI agent, seen as a major risk.
  • Some mitigate by running dev tools or agents in VMs/containers or separate, more locked‑down terminals.
  • Backup, EDR/RMM, disk utilities, search tools, and window switchers all hit rough edges in the current TCC model.

OS Philosophy, Ownership, and Lockdown Fears

  • Debate over “normal” expectations: older view that local apps should see everything vs modern, app‑sandboxed model.
  • Some see this as necessary evolution given hostile internet and data‑hungry software.
  • Others view it as Apple asserting ownership over the machine and steadily eroding user control, pushing people toward Linux.

Technical Details and Edge Cases

  • Reports that FDA has been inconsistent or partially bypassed in practice; one side calls it broken, another calls that claim baseless.
  • New protections block access even with FDA in some app containers, breaking niche cases (e.g., screensaver settings).
  • Persistent, invisible per‑folder grants via security‑scoped bookmarks are hard for users to inspect or revoke, and better tooling is desired.