A leaked macOS 27.3 change could make Full Disk Access harder for AI apps to obtain, while 'Private Folders' may offer a more precise privacy safeguard #
Apple appears to be quietly testing two major changes to how Mac apps tap into users' most sensitive data, yet an unfinished 'Private Folders' feature buried in macOS 27.3 could ultimately reshape privacy on the platform more than the tighter AI safeguards now under trial.
The findings come from code researcher pdfu, whose analysis was reported by 9to5Mac on 8 November. Both developments remain uncertain: Apple has not confirmed that either will reach users in its current form.
How macOS 27.3 Could Change Full Disk Access #
Full Disk Access gives approved applications extensive reach into information on a Mac, including material normally protected by the operating system. It can be useful for backup software, but the breadth of that permission raises questions when an AI agent needs only a particular file or conversation.
Apple acknowledged that concern on 2 October, warning that some developers were using Full Disk Access in ways that could expose files, emails, messages and browsing history without users fully understanding the consequences. It promised additional safeguards requiring 'very explicit user action' before granting such access.
Pdfu's research suggests one possible first step. Currently, when an app tries to read a protected file without the necessary permission, macOS denies the request and records the attempt. The app can then appear under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, with its switch turned off.
Developers can direct users to that screen and ask them to enable the switch. Although approval still requires a user decision, the process makes a far-reaching permission relatively easy to grant. The proposed restriction would affect apps generally, not only AI tools, although autonomous agents are central to Apple's concerns.
According to pdfu, a feature flag named TCC/FDA_WARNING would stop these automatic denials from placing apps on the permissions list. Users would instead have to add an application manually, using the plus button or dragging its icon into the panel.
There is a crucial qualification: the flag is disabled in the first macOS 27.3 beta, which Apple released on 3 November. The researcher also found no additional warning dialogue attached to it. Apple has not announced whether the change will be activated before the software's wider release.
Why 'Private Folders' Might Matter More #
The larger privacy problem may remain even if granting Full Disk Access becomes less convenient. An AI assistant seeking to work with iMessage conversations, for example, could still require a permission broad enough to expose unrelated personal information.
Pdfu also identified 'Private Folders', an unfinished folder-by-folder permission mechanism in the same beta. In theory, it could allow users to authorise access to a specific location rather than give an application unrestricted access to protected data elsewhere on the Mac.
That could make a practical difference for someone who wants an AI tool to work with messages without opening up other files. However, 9to5Mac cautioned that it remains unclear whether the proposed system could actually grant access to the folder containing the iMessage database.
Nor has Apple explained how developers would request this narrower permission, what safeguards might apply or when, if ever, it could become available.
For now, the code findings point to two approaches: making broad access harder to approve and potentially reducing the amount of data apps need to see. Only the second would directly address the underlying trade-off, provided Apple implements it as researchers hope. © Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.