sudo
Depending on the nature of the work and security protocols it isn't the WTF. When you're working, on your work device, on the work network, there is zero assumption of privacy (and there really shouldn't be). The company wants to maintain it's security and so it is ensuring it is aware of things happening on its network.
It's not necessary for everyone everywhere but it has valid use case that isn't some mega shady weird thing.
cries in proprietary
Especially since quantum threading individual tabs, I've never really had an issue with Firefox performance.
Individual site performance and things like DNS over https and ddos mitigation add more latency than anything I'll notice from the browser level. And I'm happy to wait an extra second if it means having more control of my data and my privacy.
For the 'average' user you're suggesting to be helping none of these are remotely difficult to address..
"I'm confused about antivirus," Windows handles it
"I keep forgetting to check on updates for the program I use so much," The apps you use will ask to update when you use them
"I'm unsure if I'm on the correct site to download an exe file from," The website for the application
"I keep getting ads in my taskbar," Disabled in literally 3 seconds at install and never think about it again (yeah it's dumb it happens at all, fine)
"I was going to find a different browser to use but my computer dissuaded me from doing so," getfirefox.com. install & run. Click set default browser when it pops up.
If you can't answer a simple one sentence answer to an easy question I don't think it's Windows fault. I say this as somehow who has helped tech illiterate people of all sorts on Windows, Linux, and Unix systems over the past 25+ years.
This is a project I found a while back and have been meaning to try to make use of a Pi I have sitting around https://github.com/lanceseidman/PiCAST haven't actually used it yet but if you're looking to degoogle not moving over to some other mega corp is probably worth considering as well.
Modern fingerprinting using things like browsing habits, installed software, web browser size, cookies, etc is barely effected by VPNs and the Tor browser takes care of an minimizes lots of those tools.
But can't you just spoof most of that if you really want to? If you're putting in the effort to be concerned with anonymity.
Which just reiterates the initial point, communication solves this.
'hey guys, so, basically we can't get your bags on the plane lolol wanna still go? Stay on the plane. Umad? Get off and get a refund'
Wow. Hard stuff.