{"id":7609,"date":"2020-09-01T14:02:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T19:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=8031"},"modified":"2020-11-13T18:26:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T23:26:54","slug":"whats-the-deal-with-all-the-privacy-requests-in-catalina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-privacy-requests-in-catalina\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Deal with All the Privacy Requests in Catalina?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the last few releases of macOS, Apple has been beefing up the Mac\u2019s privacy controls so they more closely resemble what the company has done in iOS. You\u2019ve undoubtedly noticed that when you first launch a new app on your iPhone or iPad, it often prompts for access to your contacts or your photos, the camera or microphone, and so on. The idea behind those prompts is that you should always be aware of how a particular app can access your personal data or features of your device. You might not want to let some new game thumb through your photos or record your voice.<\/p>\n

macOS has been heading in this direction too, with macOS 10.15 Mojave upping the stakes and 10.16 Catalina forcing apps to play this \u201cMother, May I?\u201d game in even more ways. As a result, particularly after you first upgrade and whenever you install a new app, you may be bombarded with dialogs asking for various permissions. For instance, the Loom<\/a> app that helps you make quick video recordings of your screen requires lots of permissions. Grant\u00a0them and Loom won\u2019t have to ask again.<\/p>\n

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Loom\u2019s requests are entirely reasonable\u2014it wouldn\u2019t be able to do its job without such access. That applies more generally, too. In most cases, apps will ask for access for a good reason, and if you want the app to function properly, you should give it access.<\/p>\n

However, be wary if a permission dialog appears and you don\u2019t recognize the name of the app making the request or if you aren\u2019t doing anything related to the request. Apple\u2019s hope is that you\u2019ll deny access to requests from malicious apps.<\/p>\n

The problem in Catalina is that apps have to ask for permission for so many basic capabilities that users become overwhelmed by all the dialogs. A good app, like Loom, will walk the user through accepting them on its first launch, but even still, answering four or more requests can be confusing.<\/p>\n

You might be tempted to deny access categorically. That\u2019s fine from a privacy standpoint, but not when it comes to functionality\u2014when you deny a permission request, you prevent that app from working as you anticipate. Fortunately, you can always grant (or revoke) permission later. And remember, once you\u2019ve granted permission, you won\u2019t have to do it again for that app\u2014it\u2019s a per-app request, not a per-session request.<\/p>\n

To see which permissions you\u2019ve granted or denied, open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy. A list of categories appears on the left; click one to see which apps have requested access. If you\u2019ve granted access, the checkbox next to the app will be selected; otherwise it will be empty.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>You\u2019ll notice that the lock in the lower-left corner of the System Preferences window is closed. To make changes, click it and sign in as an administrator when prompted.<\/p>\n

Most of these categories are self-explanatory, but it might not always be obvious why an app wants permission. In the screenshot above, for instance, Slack has been granted access to the Mac\u2019s camera. Why? So its video call feature can work.<\/p>\n

Annoyingly, giving access often requires that you quit the app in question before the permission takes effect. That\u2019s awkward on the first launch of a new app, since you launch it, respond to a bunch of dialogs, and then have to quit and relaunch before you can use it.<\/p>\n

There are some categories (including some not showing above) that could use additional explanation:<\/p>\n

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