GOOGLE Chrome has been quietly downloading a 4GB AI model onto users’ devices without asking first, revealing a file called weights[.]bin stored in the OptGuideOnDeviceModel directory within Chrome profiles. The 4GB download occurs automatically when the browser determines a device meets the hardware requirements, with no consent requested and no notification shown.
The Gemini Nano model powers features such as on-device scam detection, a Summarizer API, and text composition assistance like “Help me write,” which are enabled by default in some recent Chrome versions. If users locate the file and delete it, Chrome reportedly downloads it again.
According to Alexander Hanff, aka ThatPrivacyGuy, this and earlier incidents raise concerns about compliance with EU privacy law, including the ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR, while also noting that Chrome’s AI feature in the address bar routes queries to Google’s cloud servers rather than using the local model.