> Be very careful of the browser extensions you use and install an Ad Blocker
In order to make an Ad Blocker extension work, usually you need to give it permission to inspect and manipulate all websites you visit. How could a normal people be careful about that?
> If you like Chrome, there’s an “un-googled” version of Chromium you can use
You need to either know how to build that thing from source (and vet the un-google patches), or learn to verify a pre-build binaries provided by some random dude on the internet.
> If you buy your own personal storage (NAS), you can also have your own personal cloud instance. It’s not that hard.
In order to have an ok-ish experience that does not suck, you need to expose it to the internet, setup certificates for TLS, do 3-2-1 backup, learn RAID ... oh, and before all these, good luck finding a consumer grade NAS system with good security.
The comment on the Ad Blocker is fair. I don't recommend any, but if you chose one from the top list of Extensions in Firefox or Chrome, you should be fine (I don't use one, btw).
Agree with your Chromium remark. It's there for people to know it's possible if they don't like Firefox.
I have a good experience with my QNAP without much effort. The Apps are ok and work well. The security is indeed a problem and you have to keep it constantly updated.
Wouldn't Brave qualify?
I appreciate the intent of this article (even thought about writing something similar but more for a 'resisting censorship for artists' angle). But this strikes me as naive at best as to what your average Joe can be expected to manage without shepherding. I had to teach my dad how to turn on a computer for crying out loud.
Regarding the own cloud instance: you can easily buy a NAS and have your own instance of Nextcloud / QNAP cloud or Synology with a few clicks. These instances come with Native smartphone Apps that allow you to effectively host the data in your home.
