Before the most recent update, the Google Chrome settings page quietly made a promise.
In Chrome version 147, the description under "Settings" > "System" > "Device-side AI" states: "To support features such as fraud detection, Chrome can use AI models that run directly on your device without sending your data to Google servers."
This line of code has been removed in Chrome version 148.0.7778.97. Start scrolling has recently published new text. The new text states that Chrome "can use AI models that run directly on your device. If you disable this feature, these functions may not work properly."
Users discovered that this deletion operation Chrome subcategory surfaced on Hacker News, where the browser accumulated over 250 upvotes within hours, sparking intense debate among privacy advocates. “I never thought anyone still used Chrome. Google has repeatedly proven itself untrustworthy, seizing every opportunity to exploit users,” said one user. “It’s essentially AI spyware on your device,” countered another. “It collects your data, aggregates it, and sends it to Google—all paid for by your electricity bill. It’s devious.”
As we reported, yesterday the Chrome browser has been quietly downloading a approximately 4GB file named weights.bin (Gemini Nano's weight file) to any device meeting its minimum hardware requirements, without any prompt or visible notification. The file is saved in the OptGuideOnDeviceModel folder within the Chrome user data directory. Even if deleted, Chrome will redownload it upon the next restart.
Privacy researcher Alexander Hanff confirmed this behavior using macOS kernel filesystem logs, and it has since been verified on Windows 11 and Ubuntu.
The deleted sentence in Chrome browser did indeed serve a purpose: it was Chrome's primary in-product justification for silently installing Gemini Nano without asking. Google's argument is that on-device processing prevents data from being stored on servers, making the silent installation of its Gemini Nano model a net benefit for privacy.
This argument itself has a flaw. The "AI mode" option in the Chrome 147 address bar routes all queries to Google's cloud, not the local Gemini Nano model.
Removing the wording "will not send your data to Google servers" does not resolve this contradiction. It merely prevents Chrome from making a promise it clearly cannot fulfill.
Google did not respond. Decrypt Please provide feedback on the setting changes.
The forensic record of Hanfu's silent installation process triggered the initial report, as he believes this method of downloading violates relevant laws. Article 5(3) of the EU ePrivacy Directive requires explicit user consent before storing data on a user's device. Removing the privacy notice from the user interface does not eliminate this legal risk—it instead undermines one of Google's strongest arguments in defense of silent installation.
Chrome 148 is currently being rolled out gradually. Users still on version 147 will see the old text; updated users will notice that the privacy statement has disappeared.