[Google Chrome Quietly Downloads 4GB Local AI Model, Potentially Involving Unauthorized Data Collection] According to Tom’s Hardware, security researcher Alexander Hanff pointed out that Google Chrome silently downloads approximately 4GB of local AI model files named 'weights.bin' to devices meeting hardware requirements, without explicitly notifying or obtaining user consent. The file, based on Gemini Nano, is used for local AI functionality within the browser. Hanff stated that even if users manually delete the file, it will be redownloaded in the background unless experimental features are disabled or Chrome is uninstalled. He believes this behavior may violate the EU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR requirements regarding data storage on user devices and transparency, while also causing additional bandwidth costs and significant energy consumption globally.