Google Chrome is downloading a 4 GB Gemini Nano model onto users' machines without consent, with no opt-in, no opt-out short of enterprise tooling, and an automatic re-download every time the user deletes it. The pattern is identical to the Anthropic Claude Desktop case I wrote about last month, but the scale is between two and three orders of magnitude larger. This article does the legal analysis and, for the first time, the environmental analysis. The numbers are not small.
Is it sleazy? Absolutely.
Is it exploitation of a massive power imbalance? Undoubtedly.
Is it illegal? Probably about as illegal as a game pre-loading 4gb of DLC I’m not going to buy as part of an automatic update.
The terms of your agreement with Google for Chrome allow them to update their software as they see fit. Their gamble is that you won’t switch.
A person really does give up a lot of control to Google when they use Chrome. If the article instead said Google was using the model for everything and it was a big privacy gain for consumers that might never have raised eyebrows about whatever size file. They push big updates all day long
Is it sleazy? Absolutely. Is it exploitation of a massive power imbalance? Undoubtedly. Is it illegal? Probably about as illegal as a game pre-loading 4gb of DLC I’m not going to buy as part of an automatic update. The terms of your agreement with Google for Chrome allow them to update their software as they see fit. Their gamble is that you won’t switch.
A person really does give up a lot of control to Google when they use Chrome. If the article instead said Google was using the model for everything and it was a big privacy gain for consumers that might never have raised eyebrows about whatever size file. They push big updates all day long