Chrome removes ‘no data sent to Google’ claim

Chrome removed a sentence from its on-device AI settings in the most recent build, version 148. The phrasing appeared under Settings > System > On-device AI in Chrome 147 and said the browser could run AI models “without sending your data to Google servers.” That sentence no longer appears in the Settings entry for users on Chrome 148.

Researchers and users found the browser placing a file named weights.bin in a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel inside Chrome’s user data directory. The file is about 4GB and matches the weight file for Google’s Gemini Nano model. Attempts to delete the file lead to Chrome downloading it again on the next restart. Forensic checks using macOS kernel filesystem logs confirmed the write activity on Apple machines, and the same behavior has been reproduced on Windows 11 and Ubuntu systems.

The removed sentence had been the primary in-product explanation for installing the Gemini Nano model locally: if processing occurs on-device, user queries would not need to be sent to Google servers. The browser’s AI Mode interface in the address bar continues to route some queries to Google’s cloud services, and the UI text change does not alter how those features handle data.

Privacy researcher Alexander Hanff documented the automatic download and provided filesystem traces. He has argued the unattended installation may violate Article 5(3) of the EU ePrivacy Directive, which requires user consent before placing certain data on user equipment.

Users posted objections after the settings change and the download were noticed. One user wrote, “I’m just surprised people use Chrome at all. Google has proven over and over they can’t be trusted and will exploit you every chance they get.” Another user argued, “It’s on-device AI spyware, really. It collects intelligence about the user, summarizes it and sends it to Google, all paid by the user’s electricity bill.”

Google did not respond to requests for comment about the settings text change or the unattended model download. Chrome 148 is rolling out; devices still on version 147 will see the original wording, while updated installations may display the shortened description and contain the weights.bin file if the device meets Chrome’s minimum hardware requirements.