I've been learning about privacy for the better part of 6 years. At first, most of my information came from lurking on Reddit and Lemmy, but then I started getting first-hand experience and doing my own research.
An issue arises with that. Linux is fundamentally insecure, as you are likely well aware if you use secureblue. secureblue is designed to be as secure as possible while still being Linux, and so is still bound by the same constraints. Qubes OS is not a distro, so it (should be) more secure, but it is an absolute pain to use. Furthermore, Qubes OS emulates Linux distros, so the question becomes "Why not just emulate the most secure Linux distro?" which is either Whonix or secureblue depending on who you ask. Is that more secure than running secureblue on bare metal? What about GrapheneOS used in desktop mode? And what about emulating Linux inside of GrapheneOS using the Linux terminal? There are plans to use multiple distros inside of the terminal, so what about secureblue inside of GrapheneOS?
The whole situation spirals out of control. I know this iceberg chart isn't ranking security, it's ranking what software people generally use for each experience level, but neither secureblue nor Qubes OS would fit nicely in any category. You can read this post for more of my thoughts about this mess.
How the heck is TOR less secure than any of the vpns?
This isn't a ranking of security. It is ranked based on the experience level at which people generally begin to start using certain software. They build on top of each other.
"As seen on TV" does not imply privacy, it just implies a large advertising budget. These are software that market themselves as private (and are sometimes better than nothing at all) but may still be just as bad as software on the tip of the iceberg.
Not all Chromium-based browsers are bad. Browsers such as Vanadium or Trivalent are very secure, and discourage the use of extensions altogether due to privacy and security risks. These browsers come with ad blocking preinstalled.
I forgot to put it on there. I would put it probably in The Beginner. Chromium-based browsers aren't all bad, such as Vanadium or Trivalent, so people sometimes feel more comfortable sticking with what seems familiar (coming from Chrome).
If you're alive, you are asked for documents such as property records, taxes, etc. and if you refuse then bad things happen. If you fake your death, no more questions are asked and you can take on fake identities. In essence, faking your death takes your identity out of "the system"
Privacy isn't dangerous unless it gets in the way of your life (your job, relationships, housing, etc.). As long as you maintain a good balance, more privacy is generally better.
ProtonVPN is open source, meaning the code running ProtonVPN can be inspected by anyone to make sure privacy is being upheld. ProtonVPN is also based in Switzerland, which has strict privacy laws. NordVPN has had many criticisms about their privacy and security practices. ProtonVPN also has a free tier.
If you want to pay using a private cryptocurrency such as Monero, you can shop on XmrBazaar. Otherwise, you can buy a prepaid VISA with cash and find stores like eBay that accept fake personal information while ordering. Remember to ship to a PO box and not your real address (or mail to an abandoned home if you're feeling risky).
If you can, avoid online shopping altogether and use in-person stores with cash.
Both. It's open source and privacy respecting. Though, email is fundamentally insecure anyways.