I have installed Tails in an USB flashdrive and then booted my macbook with it. I noticed that Tails was capable of seeing my macbook's hard drive. Out of curiosity I tried to browse it.

Interestingly, I was capable to entering /Users/myName and access all files within. Except for a handful of folders: Desktop and Documents. Tails prompted me saying that I didn't have permission for that.

Makes sense: I could very well be a random stranger trying to steal the files out of this computer. But it got me thinking: **what exactly is stopping me from accessing such files?**

As far as I am concerned, the Desktop and Documents folders or any other file in my macbook's hard drive are not encrypted in any way. I'm no expert, but I doubt there is any sort of encryption protecting such files.

So I guess it is Tails itself. Is Tails deliberately thinking "oh boy this guy could be a random stranger, I better stop him", or is Tails actually trying to access such files but *something* is stopping it? If that is the case, what is it?

Naturally, the above bears the next question: is it possible to browse/access the files on a computer's hard drive by booting from an OS installed in a flash drive, such as Tails, effectively bypassing any sort of authentication?