Google Chrome has been silently pushing a 4GB AI model to your device without asking

[SolidSnake]

I'm glad I stopped using Chrome for years:

Google Chrome users who have noticed unusual disk activity or unexplained drops in available storage should look for a folder called "OptGuideOnDeviceModel" inside their Chrome directory. It holds roughly 4GB of weights for Google's Gemini Nano LLM, downloaded by the browser without user consent.

Deleting the folder offers no lasting relief – Chrome will simply redownload it. On Windows 11, the folder resides at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\OptGuideOnDeviceModel. It has also been confirmed on Apple Silicon and Ubuntu machines.

https://www.techspot.com/news/112309-google-chrome-has-silently-pushing-4gb-ai-model.html

 

[Larry's Torch]

So happy I switched to Linux on my laptop and a Google free phone!

 

[SSL Management]

I'm glad I stopped using Chrome for years:

Google Chrome users who have noticed unusual disk activity or unexplained drops in available storage should look for a folder called "OptGuideOnDeviceModel" inside their Chrome directory. It holds roughly 4GB of weights for Google's Gemini Nano LLM, downloaded by the browser without user consent.

Deleting the folder offers no lasting relief – Chrome will simply redownload it. On Windows 11, the folder resides at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\OptGuideOnDeviceModel. It has also been confirmed on Apple Silicon and Ubuntu machines.

https://www.techspot.com/news/112309-google-chrome-has-silently-pushing-4gb-ai-model.html

In Windows whatever before trying to"Run" %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\OptGuideOnDeviceModel, you have to go to File Explorer Options in the Control Panel and remove the check mark for "Hide protected operating system files" in order to view the AppData folder, which is not recommended. The AppData folder is a hidden, protected system-level folder. Therefore, if you do remove the check mark in order to search this folder, make your you add the check mark when done.

While Google Chrome provides a secure browsing experience with various protective features, it is not the safest browser available due to its privacy issues and the potential for exploitation due to its popularity. Users concerned about privacy may want to consider alternative browsers that prioritize user data protection.

Brave is considered the safest browser to use, however it may prevent you from accessing some banking sites or any site that uses a pop-up for logins.

10 Most Secure Web Browsers in 2026: Ranked + Rated

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[SolidSnake]

Been using Brave exclusively on mobile. LibreWolf sounds interesting on Windows.