I've heard of Supermium - maybe you could check it out? They have some degoogled parameters but I can't say definitively how good it is privacy-wise. LibreWolf is awesome (for now)

Norton Commander wrote on 2026-05-07, 09:45:

Google's AI enshittification gets worse. […]
Show full quote

Google's AI enshittification gets worse.

https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/05 … omputer/5230893

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/chr … now/ar-AA22rYRr

https://www.engadget.com/2166113/chrome-downl … archer-alleges/

https://www.techspot.com/news/112309-google-c … b-ai-model.html

https://byteiota.com/chrome-installs-4gb-ai-w … sent-gdpr-risk/

I don't have Google Chrome but this will prevent me from ever using it. I use LibreWolf mainly and Edge w/Ublock Origin as backup. Can anyone recommend a modern privacy focused Chromium browser with suppor for Ublock Origin, not Ublock Origin Lite besides Edge?

In XP i use Supermium, y think work fine in late windows too

In the last year or so, i use Thorium, it has dedicated versions both for Xp and Windows 7. In both Oses it gives me the best experience from the browsers i have tested.

Dimos wrote on 2026-05-07, 10:38:

In the last year or so, i use Thorium, it has dedicated versions both for Xp and Windows 7. In both Oses it gives me the best experience from the browsers i have tested.

I use in XP sadly get stuck on 122

I want to test this one

https://github.com/e3kskoy7wqk/Chromium-for-windows-7-REWORK

But im outside home until next month because work... ahh... relly wanna know work fine in XP as alternative to supermium

I've been using Firefox since I switched away from Chrome a couple years ago. Main reason is it supports uBlock origin on both desktop and mobile.

That said, Firefox has started pushing their own AI features recently. There is an option to fully disable them, but I do worry about the future.

If I was choosing to run an AI model, I probably would prefer to install it locally and minimize it's online footprint. It's the 'silently' part that suspicious - why not be open and upfront with it?

BinaryDemon wrote on 2026-05-07, 10:58:

If I was choosing to run an AI model, I probably would prefer to install it locally and minimize it's online footprint.

Not-so funnily enough, Chrome's "AI mode" doesn't even use these local models, it's only for the more out-of-the-way functionality like I think "suggest ideas for an emi hail".
The main "ai mode" still uses the big online models I think.

...ai mode. What even is the point of an "ai mode", do they genuinely think text predictors have any use in a WEB BROWSER???? or maybe they saw Firefox had a (much-hated) chatbot option and thought "WE MUST HAVE THIS TOO"?

Thanks for the heads up. Not surprising, sad as it is.
I just checked, my Chromium installation seems to sport this directory but it's empty. So maybe it applies the Chrome only.
I like the translation button being available, that's at least one use of generative AI that makes sense from the user pov.
Other than that, I guess they need to do their profiling somehow... if it's not AI it's something else.

i don't chrome, but not looking forward to the day this trickles into steamwebhelper.

It's still smaller than the monthly Windows update that takes half a day to download on my Internet.

That just makes it even more sad, doesn't it?

Seriously, it doesn't make sense to download a local model under the assumption that our computers can handle it, but it isn't even used. I only use Firefox outside of work anyway.

leileilol wrote on 2026-05-07, 16:11:

i don't chrome, but not looking forward to the day this trickles into steamwebhelper.

It better not trickle into CEF, it's bad enough that "Chromium" is the "Operating System of the Web".

Small models have limited uses. An obvious future step for a local model is fine-tuning on user behavior. That the model takes up 4 GB is neither here nor there if you don't like AI.

I long for the day my web browser stops having an identity crisis and goes back to downloading and displaying documents from remote servers.

You may think you don't chrome, but you may more than you think.

The amount of node.exe processes that Visual Studio 2026 / its related software spawns...

Plus msedgewebview2.exe. 🙃

keenmaster486 wrote on 2026-05-08, 17:56:

I long for the day my web browser stops having an identity crisis and goes back to downloading and displaying documents from remote servers.

Links

No i don't use the chromelikes either. Edge is blocked and goes nowhere, and I don't use Vibual Slopio Copy-a-lot

leileilol wrote on 2026-05-09, 17:37:

No i don't use the chromelikes either. Edge is blocked and goes nowhere, and I don't use Vibual Slopio Copy-a-lot

I use firefox but finding an inline pdf editor like edges is hard to come by, i tried sumatrapdf and i tried libreoffice draw, i mean i tried a handful of android pdf editors. Whats the point android is being locked down as we speak and itll be worse than useless, like iOS but you have the inking of freedom

Firefox is just Rust-infested poorly written Chrome wannabe atrocity with worse performance and higher RAM wastage.

I'll accept "rust-infested" before slop-fuckery. What's your reason about rust?

To get back to the original post...

Google has this assumption that everyone wants to use AI. To take the load off their servers they send the 4GB to you so that AI can be done locally instead. In theory should be faster, but all depends on your computer specs.

Unfortunately they didn't ask the user if they wanted this, and if you delete the file it just comes back. Doing these things silently is a violation of EU laws among many others. Google can look forward to an enormous fine.

As for what browser I use, it's been Firefox for about 20 years. I did try current Supermium on XP yesterday, but it was practically unusable, with most settings just not there. When I tried youtube on it, it just froze up with the CPU stuck at 100%. After restarting Supermium, the screen would not appear, so I gave it up as a very bad joke and uninstalled it. Been trying out R3dfox on win7 and Vista, seems ok apart from a little bug on Vista. Also tried MyPal on XP, seems ok too.