On one hand, perhaps so, but on the other, let’s not equate “privacy” with “ability to do illegal stuff with no consequences”. You can have privacy in your own house, but if you cook meth or make bombs in it, the police can and will bust your door and get you. Doing illegal stuff requires way more care than just “privacy” and Proton might not be the best option for that…
Out of curiosity, since I switched from Windows to Mint recently so I’m not married to it just yet - what would be your recommended distro for Windows users that uses a better/newer tech stack? Mint worked out of the box for me, but if love to try other distros too if they’re better.