Is Google Chrome safe to use with Final Cut Pro on M4 Mac Mini?

Ian R. Brown wrote:

Because your primary reason for using Chrome is Gemini Live, here is how to use Chrome securely and privately without compromising your Mac:

It doesn't mention the things that Chrome installs that are difficult, if not impossible, to remove without at least using Terminal.

Also, when I asked Gemini if Keystone is still used, it says that yes, it is. Was it lying to you? Or to me?

It understands that you want to use Chrome and are looking for justifications to do that. So, it's going to give them to you.

When I ask, "Why should I avoid using Chrome on my Mac?", this is the answer I get:

You should avoid Google Chrome on your Mac because it drains your battery faster, consumes more memory, and tracks your personal data more aggressively than native options like Safari. 

Battery and Performance Drain

·       High energy use: Chrome uses significantly more processor power and energy than Safari because it lacks deep, hardware-level optimization for macOS. 

·       RAM consumption: Chrome runs a separate background process for every single open tab. This uses up massive amounts of RAM, which can slow down MacBooks with lower memory (such as 8GB RAM models) during multitasking.

Privacy Concerns

·       Data tracking: Google’s core business model relies on ad targeting and data collection. Using Chrome allows Google to track your browsing habits across the web.

·       Defeats Apple protections: macOS and built-in browsers like Safari include strict anti-tracking tools like Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Relying on Chrome bypasses many of the privacy safeguards built directly into your Mac.

Better Alternatives

·       Safari: Offers the best battery life, seamless syncing with iPhones, and powerful built-in privacy protection.

·       Firefox: An independent, open-source browser that supports robust privacy add-ons and ad blockers without using Google's underlying tracking engine.

It's all in how you phrase the question.

@Ian, I have to agree with @Idris. The name of the daemon/application is exactly what he asked Gemini about. I don't run Chrome on our edit systems for all the reasons discussed above but I have seen a change in etrecheck reports posted here where the keystone daemon is now shown as not loaded, but there's a different autoupdating software loaded instead. I wondered if they had changed their autoupdater. Thank you for posting the steps to configure Chrome so it's safer.

I replied to you in a different thread about my experiences with Gemini's accuracy. It is not simply a question of bias.

What it's not telling you is that installing Chrome installs all sorts of links and hooks into the entire Google ecosystem. And you can't really get rid of them except by reformatting and reinstalling macOS. Only you can decide how you feel about that.

What is it that you believe you need Chrome for?

Ian R. Brown wrote:

"All sorts of things" means what precisely? Are they likely to impact me or my computer negatively?

John Galt would be better able to explain that than I. Any third-party additions will use computer resources. Google installs a lot with almost no transparency and no easy way to remove what you don't want. But more importantly, you're giving up privacy and information. Yes, that can be mitigated to some extent if you spend a lot of time with Google's privacy settings. But they also change them regularly so there's the effort involved in keeping up.

I suspect that if they were, Google would be facing a massive class action lawsuit long before now.

They have been. They are. They will continue to be. Even Gemini will tell you that. Here's one:

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-finalizes-historic-settlement-google-and-secures-1375-billion-big-tech

There are "all sorts of things" bundled in macOS that I don't want (and probably many people don't want) but they don't impede the performance of the computer to any noticeable degree.

What is included with the Mac is part of the design. It's optimized and accounted for.

I must admit that several years BC* on at least 2 occasions I threw caution to the wind and installed Chrome and you know what, my Mac did not burst into flames . . . in fact I never noticed Chrome was there but eventually I listened to the naysayers and deleted it though without getting rid of those pesky daemons.

No, it won't burst into flames. And you may not have problems. I use it for work reasons myself. However, I made that choice knowingly. That's my theme here - understand what the consequences might be and then choose carefully.

As mentioned above I need it to enable Live Voice on Gemini.

I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in this thread. My apologies if I missed it.

My larger concern here is not Chrome. It's that it doesn't sound to me that you are properly skeptical of Gemini (and perhaps LLMs in general). But then, I'm not your parent, spouse or employer so, beyond some friendly concern, I suppose it's not my business. ;-)

Do not go into those replies by Gemini; use Arc or try Firefox, as it has an extension {third party} to make Firefox look like Chrome. I had used Chrome recently, and I will never forget the experience. I will give the Firefox extension store link for that extension if you want. And I am a proud Firefox user, and it is the best browser

Edit: The experience occurred in my new M4 Mac mini.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

Gemini is my close friend, I couldn't possibly be unfaithful (except with ChatGPT).

Ha!

I've used most of them. ChatGPT has a history of being especially sycophantic, though strides have been made to improve that. Claude seems to be the least like that, and the documents it creates in Word or Excel are better. I find Google Notebook (which uses the Gemini models) to be useful in specific circumstances. I would note that it uses information provided by the user. I've also used Perplexity, which uses all of the major LLMs. In the end, they all have pros and cons. Horses for courses.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

Sorry! You didn't miss it and I was sure I had written it and not just had the thought.

You have a number of similar threads going. I have subsequently found the one where you mention it specifically. All on the same page now!

If you only knew how skeptical I am . . . until recently (say 30 or so years) I was the world's greatest dinosaur (slight hyperbole) and naysayer, since when I have mellowed a little but still take years to make a decision.

As long as you remain skeptical, you'll be fine! I think AIs are great tools. But we will probably all bang our thumbs a few times while using them.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

It's not lying to anyone, it is giving the facts pertaining to that particular question.

It told you (or at least you quoted) that it doesn't use Keystone anymore. It told me it did. It's lying to one of us. Regardless of which one of us it's lying to, the fact that it lies is a problem.