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by vanderZwan 37 days ago
Then what is your definition of "installing" exactly? Are you going to split hairs about it not being a separate program being installed and running in the background, but weights being used by code that is run inside the browser? Because honestly, I don't think there's any significant difference from the user's perspective here. Other than the fact that doing the latter bypasses the need to get permission to install a new program. Which makes it an even worse violation, in a way, since it undermines the trust that the browser as a platform is just a browser.

A 4 GiB model has nothing to do with the functionality of a web browser. It is something forced on users without their consent.

Of course that's what we get for giving the benefit of doubt to the company that insisted on learning the wrong things from the Google Buzz fiasco.
3 comments
doginasuit 37 days ago
Install does convey something more involved than including a file, that's not splitting hairs. It is not uncommon for software to include malware that runs independently of the software you expected, and the headline is clickbait that taps into those concerns. I'm here for the concerns about bloat. "Downloads" would have been the right term to use but it doesn't sound as scary.
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chrisjj 37 days ago
> A 4 GiB model has nothing to do with the functionality of a web browser.

Problem is, nor do half its T&Cs. What we thought was a web browser turns out to be a Google content delivery vehicle - and controlled by Google, not the target users.

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jasonlotito 37 days ago
> A 4 GiB model has nothing to do with the functionality of a web browser. It is something forced on users without their consent.

This does not happen. The model is not downloaded unless the user intentionally uses the feature that requires it. Then it's downloaded at that point.

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coldtea 37 days ago
Unless the user uses a feature.

That that feature (a) requires a local LLM, (b) will install a multi-GB download without telling the user, all happen without any explicit user consent.

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beaugunderson 37 days ago
untrue, I’ve deleted it many times in the last year. I don’t think this is new.
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beaugunderson 37 days ago
ah, yeah, first showed up in April of 2025
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