Firstly, what I said remains true: non-technical computer users, and especially those who weren't even aware that their webcams might be used to spy on them, are very unlikely to disassemble their computers to any extent. Let alone solder anything. This guide was written for them.

Yes, it's very shocking to see the complacency and ignorance in people. I could understand older folks, but young people who were brought up in this tech world and having no clue about the dangers of them, is pretty schocking. And it's also a parenting issue for the most part.

So yes education is crucial, this is not the kind of thing that your teacher will teach you. Not even in an IT university. They are clueless for the most part.

That does not mean I think you are wrong about what you said. You are correct, that it's safest to unplug the microphone entirely. I stress again, just in case you missed it, that the focus of what I wrote here was something easy and non-technical just about anyone could do to enhance their online privacy.
Finally, I implied nothing about your trustworthiness. But it's a good idea to promote scepticism amongst non-technical users when it comes to opening downloaded documents from sources they don't know, for much the same reason as clicking links in emails isn't generally a great idea if you aren't certain who the sender is/what the motive is (at a minimum).

I see, no problem, I just misinterpreted your reply.

Yes skepticism is important, but if people want to really be careful, they should download stuff only in a virtualized environment on a throwaway computer from the beginning. There is always a threshold of safety vs convenience that people will put up with. It's their choice to decide.