Google Chrome Arrives on ARM64 Linux, Widevine DRM Included

Google has quietly dropped an official version of Chrome for Arm64 Linux, which means small computers like the Raspberry Pi can now run the real deal instead of just Chrome’s open-source cousin, Chromium. On paper, that sounds tidy: built-in Google account syncing, easier installs, normal updates, and bundled Widevine, the copy-protection tech that lets services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer work without weird hacks. In practice? The comments instantly turned into a mini culture war.

The hottest reaction wasn’t even “yay, Chrome!” It was a full anti-DRM rant. One commenter basically declared Widevine and encrypted media on the web a historic mistake, calling it anti-consumer and wishing it would “bog off.” That set the mood fast: for every user excited that streaming finally works more smoothly on Arm Linux, there’s another one glaring at the idea of more lock-in from Big Tech.

Then came the privacy squad. One reader waved people away from Google sync entirely and pushed self-hosted Nextcloud instead, in a very classic “you could just not give Google your data” flex. Another dropped a wonderfully chaotic warning that using Chrome on Linux is “a big mistake” because websites might treat you like a bot — which is either a serious complaint or the funniest accidental self-own in the thread. And yes, there was also the adventurous gremlin energy of someone ready to try it in Termux-X11, because of course there was. The browser arrived quietly; the community absolutely did not.