Google Chrome, and by proxy most other WebKit browsers (Edge, Opera (GX), Brave, etc.), have implemented WebEnvironmentIntegrity, a system that acts as what is essentially DRM for websites, allowing Google to be the final arbiter of what you can do on the web. This is a further direct attack on the free Internet that now affects a large majority of the population.

This has prompted many people, including those less familiar with web browser technology, to make the move from their WebKit browser of choice to Firefox. This is the most important thing you can do right now for the sake of your browsing experience, and I highly recommend making the move.

You can download Firefox here: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/
There's also LibreWolf, for if you want much more security by default, but this requires different configuration: https://librewolf.net/

While not everyone wants to make any more changes, for the sake of security and a smooth browsing experience, I recommend everyone at least make some basic changes to minimize any issues with your browsing experience.

I have made this guide for people I know who aren't as familiar with technology and the settings I bring up here, so there are probably some big holes open. I understand that there are, and hope to address them, but also know that the target audience for this want the flexibility.
For the target audience in question, feel free to come to me if you're getting weird browser errors. I don't know how overkill my suggestions are, as I use a more aggressive profile.

< THE BARE MINIMUM >

The prefs.js file in this folder has as many setting changes as I could make without majorly disrupting the browsing experience, primarily focused on removing bloatware and unnecessary analytics from the browser. This means that a few vital privacy settings are missing, which I'll cover in a later section. For now, locate where your Firefox profile is (on Windows, it's in C:/Users/[your user folder]/AppData/Roaming/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/[random ID].default[-release]) and replace it with this. You can add in your other settings later inside of the browser.

Try to use less extensions where you can to make your browser stand out less to websites. I suggest the following for most:
- uBlock Origin - The perfect adblocker that gives you back control of your browser. My personal, relatively aggressive config for uBlock Origin is also in this folder; simply use the "Restore from file" function in the extension settings. (For most, I recommend removing my global disable of third-party frames; otherwise, this should be fine for your daily drive.)
- CanvasBlocker - Fakes canvas readings, making websites with videos and scripts playing in window (including things like Discord) far more secure.
- LocalCDN - Stops local resource injection, which can undermine security.
- ClearURLs - Cleans up URLs in your browser, as to expose less tracking information.
- FastForward (https://fastforward.team/) - Skips link shortener redirects like adf.ly.

There are a few good options for search engines. The best options, however, generally require a lot more effort than they're worth for most. Here's the two easy ones:
- DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com/) - The most popular option for private searching. Has come under fire for censoring results in the past, which some may not like.
- Startpage (https://www.startpage.com/) - A strong and independent option for private searching that I personally recommend.

Make sure to remove all of the other search engines in your settings.

< THE ESSENTIALS LAYER >

In the Firefox profilemaker, I intentionally left a few things out from the defaults to minimize disruption to the browsing experience:
- DNS over HTTPS is on. By default, this uses Cloudflare's DNS service, which includes heavy trackers.
- Videos with DRM are enabled. This includes Widevine Content Decryption Module, which is made by Google and includes its own trackers.
- WebGL is enabled, allowing for custom graphics engines to be run for gaming and similar tasks. This allows websites to use your GPU to its fullest and potentially fingerprint your browser through it.
- WebRTC is enabled, which allows for real-time audio and video conference. This can expose your local IP.
- Automatic updates are on. This means that Firefox can install and run code on your computer without any immediate change in the browsing experience.

Here's how to limit all of these vulnerabilities. First, open your browser settings (or type "about:preferences" into your address bar).
- DNS over HTTPS: In the Privacy and Security tab. Set to "Max Protection" and choose the provider "Custom". I recommend putting Mullvad DNS (paste "https://doh.mullvad.net/dns-query") into the text field here, but other good DNS services work as well.
- DRM: In General. Toggle this.
- Automatic updates: In General as "Firefox Updates". Turn on "Check for updates but let you choose when to install them". Firefox regularly pushes security updates, so keep your eyes out for those.

Two of these are a bit out of the way. Type "about:config" into your address bar and click "Show all".
- WebGL: Search for "webgl.disabled", and hit the two arrows besides the text that says "false" to change it to "true".
- WebRTC: Search for "media.peerconnection.enabled", and hit the two arrows besides the text that says "true" to change it to "false".

Want some more extensions? Here's all the rest of the privacy extensions I use:
- Smart Referer - Manages third party requests for added security.
- Request Control - Additional third party rules to skip redirects and filter certain types of browser activity.
- Behave! - Monitor what windows and applications are sending what signals.

< MY PERSONAL EXTENSIONS >

Here are all of the rest of the extensions I use:
- Bypass Paywalls Clean/Unpaywall - Self-explanatory. The former works for news, while the latter works for research papers (but requires an input).
- Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Gives the rundown on website ToS, and warns users how bad the website is on average.
- Flagfox - Ever wondered where a website server is running from?
- LibRedirect/Redirector/Indie Wiki Buddy - Redirects website traffic to alternative frontends that are much more secure, including the more secure search engines SearXNG and Whoogle. I HIGHLY recommend using LibRedirect and Indie Wiki Buddy where you can over the official frontends due to the smoother user experience and healthier user interface, but they can be unreliable due to server ratelimiting; regardless, I believe it is still worth your effort to look into.
- User-Agent Switcher and Manager - Allows your browser to claim it's a different one to websites, making you harder to profile.

< NEED TO GO DEEPER? >

If you're willing to increase your security even further, check out Arkenfox's user.js here (MAKE SURE TO READ THE ENTIRE WIKI FIRST, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOUR BROWSING EXPERIENCE WILL BE KNEECAPPED): https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/wiki
I believe LibreWolf implements something similar to user.js by default.

Please let me know if I missed something.