If you use screenshot or screen sharing apps on your Mac, you can expect weekly alert pop-ups with macOS Sequoia this fall.

From 2006 to 2009, Apple ran the beloved Get a Mac ad campaign, starring Justin Long as a Mac and John Hodgman as a PC. One of these ads, titled Security, showed a poor PC being subjected to endless pop-up security warnings in Windows Vista. Now, Mac users can experience the same misery in macOS Sequoia. The security prompt, warning the user that an app is viewing their screen, will now appear once a week, forever. This ridiculous, nagging default threatens to undermine everything that’s good about security on the Mac.

"I understand that the intent behind frequent alerts is to ensure that users are always aware of potential security risks. However, inundating users with endless pop-ups can lead to 'alert fatigue,' where users ignore or dismiss these alerts. This can paradoxically increase security risks because users can become less vigilant for actual threats," Rob Stevenson, founder of Backup Vault, told Lifewire via email.

The Mac strikes a good balance between convenience, security, and privacy. A hardwired LED lights up when your camera is activated, and a similar, irremovable warning appears when an app accesses your computer’s audio. You also have to give apps permission to access your camera and other potentially sensitive parts of the operating system.