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Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

thatprivacyguy.com

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Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's emissions they worry about, then it's anything emitting. Are they against washing machines too? Or are they just grandfathered in?

Don't be disingenuous. Not all energy is created equally.

Are we back to magic water and magic soil? Does the energy have some morality attached to it?

The emissions per kWh of energy used in providing internet downloads probably is similar to that per kWh of energy used for washing clothes.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#172
post #148
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some parts of the anti-AI movement are becoming so unhinged that now any use of compute is considered an environmental threat. This degrowth mentality needs to die.

Our planet is literally dying. The oceans are boiling [0], marine life is dying [1]. Land close to the water will be land under water soon [2]. The ice caps are melting and setting free all sorts of diseases. [3] Large parts of our planet on fire all the time now, here's one from Australia from this year [4], but I'm sure you've read about wildfires in Australia last year, California every year, Greece last year etc…

Have you ever made a decision to NOT download something, turn on your computer, experiment, etc based on your perceived impact on the planet?

I mean this should (and is) be tackled at the source: 0/low emission energy generation and not consumer having to think about these decisions. Sustainable data centers using renewables etc. But not that the companies should associate/evaluate/consider bytes downloaded with environmental impact.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#173
post #148
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some parts of the anti-AI movement are becoming so unhinged that now any use of compute is considered an environmental threat. This degrowth mentality needs to die.

Our planet is literally dying. The oceans are boiling [0], marine life is dying [1]. Land close to the water will be land under water soon [2]. The ice caps are melting and setting free all sorts of diseases. [3] Large parts of our planet on fire all the time now, here's one from Australia from this year [4], but I'm sure you've read about wildfires in Australia last year, California every year, Greece last year etc…

Why do you attribute to capitalism an issue that is much more fundamental than it? People want more stuff and better lives, it's as simple as that. Even hunger/gatherer societies brought themselves to extinction multiple times in the past, and I doubt the USSR would have fared better against climate change.

Technological progress is also societal progress. If we embraced degrowth in the 1800's (there was a ton of pollution back then, and a Malthusian belief in disaster!) we might not see slavery being abolished or women being able to vote.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#174
post #40

[flagged]

The browser with a sidebar AI chatbot? What a simple solution.

You don't have to have the sidebar chatbot thing. When mozilla added these AI features, after the update the browser prompted me to whether I want it or not, with the "yes" and "no" being equally easy to select. It did not add them without consent. You can disable all AI features altogether, or you can completely remove chatbot sidebar specifically (with 2 clicks) and have the rest of the features if you want them.

Gosh most of the time when I read people complain about firefox, it gives me the impression they have not even used firefox.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#176
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me the most important extension is uBlock Origin. It's worth switching to Firefox for this alone.

Without your ublock origin browsing the net is quite horrible these days

Youtube is virtually unwatchable without it. I honestly have no idea how most people cope. Truth is, even with an adblocker there's so much rubbish on the page that gets in my way. Invidous is much better but it's too unreliable.

Sites that autoplay a video, which follows you as you scroll are the worst.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The browser with a sidebar AI chatbot? What a simple solution.

You don't have to have the sidebar chatbot thing. When mozilla added these AI features, after the update the browser prompted me to whether I want it or not, with the "yes" and "no" being equally easy to select. It did not add them without consent. You can disable all AI features altogether, or you can completely remove chatbot sidebar specifically (with 2 clicks) and have the rest of the features if you want them. G…

That's neat. Firefox has never prompted me on any of my instances and the sidebar is still present. Wish they would ask everyone for consent.

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The browser with a sidebar AI chatbot? What a simple solution.

You don't have to have the sidebar chatbot thing. When mozilla added these AI features, after the update the browser prompted me to whether I want it or not, with the "yes" and "no" being equally easy to select. It did not add them without consent. You can disable all AI features altogether, or you can completely remove chatbot sidebar specifically (with 2 clicks) and have the rest of the features if you want them. G…

This is article about Chrome doing something undesirable with AI. Which can be easily disabled by going into chrome://flags. And suggestion is to download Firefox which is also doing something undesirable with AI. Which is also can be easily disabled. Seems both browsers are quite similar in this regard, so suggestion to replace one with another is not very helpful?

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#179
post #88
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am using Firefox for years now. It's such a splendid experience. I can recommend the following extensions: - Youtube Enhancer - DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials - Cookie Auto Decline (a MUST for Europeans) - Slop Evader - No Gender (a MUST for Germans) Its a totally different browsing experience than what most people have. I recently watched my kiddo looking something up with Edge on her laptop. I had to interfere and…

For me the most important extension is uBlock Origin. It's worth switching to Firefox for this alone.

Or for real control, uMatrix (yes there are madmen like me still stubbornly hanging on)

Re: Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent

#180
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please feel free to suggest a better alternative.

Not being able to suggest an alternative for Chrome doesn't imply that Firefox is a good alternative. On GrapheneOS they recommend Vanadium - a more secure Chromium fork - and specifically recommend against Firefox, but that's on mobile.

> Gecko doesn't have a WebView implementation (GeckoView is not a WebView implementation), so it has to be used alongside the Chromium-based WebView rather than instead of Chromium, which means having the remote attack surface of two separate browser engines instead of only one. Firefox/Gecko also bypass or cripple a fair bit of the upstream and GrapheneOS hardening work for apps. Worst of all, Firefox does not have internal sandboxing on Android.

> The sandbox has been gradually improving on the desktop but it isn't happening for their Android browser yet.

Context is definitely interesting to have with your statement (From https://grapheneos.org/usage).

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