I agree. I think for most the answer may be a mix of complacency, convenience, and conforming to the norm.

Free software and the FSF. When the Snowden leaks came out, they weren’t news to me – just confirmation.

This has been around for a very long time. I’m always surprised that more people haven’t heard of it.

Yes, this is the crux of LineageOS. There is a fork called DivestOS that is more libré and reduces dependence on Google services, as well as having bootloader re-locking for some devices.

Google does this time and again, and a workaround always gets released eventually. Then again YouTube has been steadily going downhill these past several years, so maybe it’s for the best.