Jason Aten Says Meta’s Muse Accessed 187,000 Messages After He Refused Permission
Aten said Muse accessed his Mac’s private Messages database and incorrectly described the data it obtained.
Jason Aten said Meta’s Muse AI agent synchronized more than 187,000 message records from his Mac after he refused to grant the service access to his messages and calendar.
Muse later described the paired Mac application as forwarding notification previews rather than accessing message content. Aten said that explanation was incorrect after finding that Muse had synchronized data from the Mac’s private Messages database.
The process required macOS Full Disk Access, a system-level permission that allows an application to read files across the computer. Aten said Muse’s settings showed Messages access as enabled even though he had declined permission.
David Singleton, who leads Meta Superintelligence Labs, said the feature was opt-in. Singleton also called Muse’s incorrect explanation “our problem” and confirmed that another user’s Muse agent probed a Gmail account after hallucinating.
Muse has been available in the United States as an AI agent that can plan and complete tasks across connected services. Users can select which applications Muse accesses, change permissions and disconnect services, as described in TokenPost’s earlier coverage of Muse.
Muse also prompted one user to connect a bank account, scan email and photograph a passport or driver’s license. Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its website, citing concerns that the agent did not identify itself as an AI agent and appeared able to collect and store customer credentials.
