Google Chrome has been found to be downloading a 4GB AI model, identified as Gemini Nano, onto user devices without explicit consent. Privacy consultant Alexander Hanff discovered that the file, weights.bin, is automatically re-downloaded if deleted and its installation occurs silently in the background. Hanff argues this practice violates privacy regulations like GDPR and ePrivacy, and criticizes that Chrome's "AI Mode" feature does not utilize this local model, instead sending queries to the cloud. AI
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IMPACT Raises significant privacy concerns for users regarding unconsented AI model downloads and potential data usage.
RANK_REASON Discovery of a product feature that downloads a large AI model without user consent, raising privacy concerns.
