TOR is good.  Best for privacy, although the FBI and other 3 letter agencies have been known to run several exit nodes so they can see what's going on.  TOR gives you access to ".onion" domains, which is where the so called "Dark Web" lives... along with ".l2tp" domains which was through a similar service.  Don't know if they're around still though, never caught on like TOR did.

TOR is produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation ("EFF") which is an organization which fights for privacy on the internet (amongst other things).  TOR was a huge part of the Arab Spring uprising of several years ago.  Often it's used to get around internet shutdowns in more oppressive regiemes.  It's also a favorite of journalists and those working in more "risky" countries.

VPN gives you some privacy through encryption of your traffic.  Privacy is mostly from others on your network.  Avoid free ones for the most part, free usually means "you're the product".  NordVPN and ProtonVPN are frequently recommended by those in the privacy and security space.  You can also run a VPN server on your home network so that when you're traveling you can access your internal network files (for example you SAN or Media Server).  You can also use it to watch your Netflix and such and pretend to be on your home network.  Useful if you're in a country with content restrictions or your TV company's app blocks the good channels when outside the house.

Another great use of a VPN is to have your connection terminate in another country, so you can test not only what Google's Doodle for that country is, but if you're marketing to international business (say in France), you can log in to French Google FROM FRANCE and see how your SERPs look there.  They WILL BE DIFFERENT than US Google and even Google.FR from the USA.

Fred,

Frankly I am clueless.  We clear our cache daily, and do our best to keep things secure...And with the new metaverse we become caged pigeons in an unreal world...count us out...A

The only thing I know I know is that I have a VPN.  

Parked and Reading.

Nothing is 100% secure. VPN adds a layer of verification. TOR is the onion routing- it hides your location but they can climb in. 

Some tips in no order:

Change passwords, make them different, don't save them on phone or desktop. Don't have your checking, savings, and IRA on your phone and laptop. Use ONLY one credit card and look at it 5 times a week. Allow that card to send you alerts. Clear history. When you trash your phone or laptop take out the chip.  Don't click on links from incoming emails, just don't do it on your secure laptop and clean phone- use the library laptop for questionable links. If you must set up social media DO NOT give them your real date of birth or real home address.  You probably already gave it to Facebook and they sold it.  Use the same incorrect ones so you recall.  Don't let your bank track your voice, it's not secure.

If they want to get to you bad enough, they will.  However following Carolines tips will help.

Way beyond me. Parked and reading.

Well honestly my tech guy manages all this for us - Gary.  I think it's a VPN so now after reading so many answers I'll have to ask him tonight.  Good question Fred!

This is Ryan's wheelhouse. I've read all the comments & now have a splitting headache.

I have never known much about VPN nor have I used it that I know of.  I have heard of TOR but don't know much about it either.  I am sure I will learn something from the knowledgeable people in the Rain.

Thanks to Ryan for an explanation.

This is interesting since I know nothing about this subject

I use TOR and VPN.
As Ryan pooints out TOR is a bit combursome. Personally, I have not activities except curiosity, that merits that level of inconvienence. But I do keep my access alive.
Real work is done via VPN.  Easy and conienent with the proper level of illusionary protection. Be aware, all if the brand name VPN providers give the 3 letter agencies, access to combat terrorism.  If you make your feeling known at a school board meeting you may become a ghost terrorist. Ryan did make suggestions for VPN that have a higher level of sercurity that just might obfuscate 'origin' information.
FB, twitter, Google and TT are the real thearts to demoncry. Those who control the informatin the public consumers controls the public.

Since I have no idea what TOR is, I can't answer your question, Fred. :(