This id the bit that clicked for me in the article:
"So the very idea of RSS - obtaining content from a website without having to visit the site itself - is due for a comeback. No ads. No suspicious javascript. Just the signal without the noise. It's not perfect privacy, but it's one step back and two steps forward in the right direction."
Makes even more sense to me now - no additional malicious software if it all conforms to an accepted and safe standard.