Not necessarily meant to be followed step by step, although it is recommended. Some steps are valid during all levels, others give way to better alternatives further on.
* __Level 1__: Don't save your passwords on plaintext or in some "cloud" service like Lastpass and don't save logins on your phone or web browser. Use KeePassX (and I mean the one with an X) and remember one good main password (must have lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols, be longer than 8 characters and be change bimonthly), then use the password manager's option to generate different passwords for each account you have and keep the password database on a USB stick. Other password manager is [kpcli](https://github.com/alecsammon/kpcli) which [works on the command line](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M448GtFa5Xs) and is just a minimalist perl script (this is the best option).
* __Level 2__: Use [Searx](https://github.com/asciimoo/searx/wiki/Searx-instances) instead of Google when in need to search on the web. You can get search engine plugins for your browser [from here](https://mycroftproject.com/search-engines.html?name=searx).
* __Level 3__: Use your web browser with javascript, cookies and any telemetry (like "pocket", geolocation, and WebRTC) disabled and reduce the browser fingerprinting. Enable javascript and cookies only on selected sites. [GNU IceCat](https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/) is the best option.
* __Level 4__: Replace your e-mail provider with a more safe, more appropriate provider. A good option is [Tutanota](https://tutanota.com/), another alternative is [cock.li](https://cock.li/).
* __Level 5__: Use an e-mail client that can block web beacons (tracking pixels). Thunderbird is easy and has a plugin for this. Mailx, Mutt or Alpine are better options.
* __Level 6__ Use RSS for news from sites you trust and to order your podcasts instead of Youtube (although Youtube has an RSS feed for their channels too, for now). Liferea is easy and a great application for RSS feeds, newsboat and newsbeuter are command line options.
* __Level 7__ Use [Peertube](https://instances.joinpeertube.org/instances) for podcasts instead of Youtube.
* __Level 8__: Use [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/) or install [Pleroma](https://github.com/wimvanderbauwhede/limited-systems/wiki/Mastodon-and-Pleroma-on-the-Raspberry-Pi-3) (GNU Social) instead of non-publicly auditable social networks known to sell private information.
* __Level 9__: Choose IRC instead of non-publicly auditable chat networks. A good and easy IRC application is Hexchat, other options are irssi and WeeChat. You can use [BitlBee](https://wiki.bitlbee.org/) to access other chat networks through an IRC client if you need.
* __Level 10__: Use GNU/Linux on your computers, preferably free from "systemd". PCLinuxOS is an easy first choice, Devuan is a better option. Stay away from something called BSD.
* __Level 11__: Install LineageOS on your phone and use F-Droid without gapps (Google app store), with IceCatMobile for web browser, KeePassDroid, AFWall+ and Android IMSI-Catcher Detector. Use Yalp Store or Aptoide (or download from apkmirror/apkpure) in combination with microG if you need a gapps app.
* __Level 12__: Avoid using your real name online and avoid giving away any personal information, if possible log into sites using donated passwords and accounts from [BugMeNot](http://bugmenot.com).
* __Level 13__: Use [The Random Identity Generator](http://rig.sourceforge.net/) (rig) to generate an online persona when in need to create accounts. Don't reuse usernames, email addresses, etc, for different sites and don't mention your other identities to avoid contamination.
* __Level 15__: Remove file extensions from sensitive files such as .kdb for KeePass password databases to make it hard to sift through your disk.
* __Level 16__: Anonymize your writting style on any text with anti-stylometry software like [Anonymouth](https://github.com/psal/anonymouth) when you share documents.
* __Level 17__: Uninstall network facing services like Avahi (Bonjour), CUPS (replace with Line Printer if needed), Telnet, the R-tools (rlogin, rsh, rcp, rwho, rexec), fingerd, and uninstall services if unused like ssh/web/ftp/mail.
* __Level 18__: Use Uncomplicated Firewall ("ufw") to block inbound AND outbound network traffic, permitting only what you need.
* __Level 19__: Use Firejail or Bubblewrap to sandbox your applications.
* __Level 20__: Use an [OpenNIC provider](https://servers.opennicproject.org/) known to not save logs together with DNSCrypt to prevent DNS Leaking.
* __Level 21__: Use YaCy with collaborative database disabled when in need to search on the web.
* __Level 22__: Use the Tor Browser to navigate the internet through Tor.
* __Level 23__: Use [Bastille Linux](http://bastille-linux.sourceforge.net/source.htm) to harden your system.
* __Level 24__: Use a command line web browser like links2 and only browse web pages without javascript or cookies when possible.
* __Level 25__: Use a source based distro, preferably without crypto libraries on its package manager (no Python). Gentoo is one option, CRUX is advised and it is easy to setup, see [this link](https://github.com/mayfrost/guides/blob/master/INITIATION.md).
* __Level 26__: Encrypt your e-mails with GnuPG. Thunderbird has the Enigmail plugin for this, you can script the use of GPG on Mutt.
* __Level 27__: Set a tight configuration for iptables on each port open and drop packets for everything. Use nftables on newer kernels.
* __Level 28__: Use [qmail](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/thoughts_on_the.html) for your own e-mail server. Exim and cmail are other options.
* __Level 29__: Use Squid for caching websites.
* __Level 30__: Set [BIND9](https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/270716/configure-bind-as-forwarder-only-no-root-hints-encrypted-rpz-blacklist-wh/270796#270796) for making DNS queries on your local DNS server.
* __Level 31__: Use port forwarding and a port knocker on your router or server and unregister your reverse dns records.
* __Level 32__: Use Arpalert/ArpON (for Man-In-The-Middle -MITM- Detection), [zapret](https://github.com/bol-van/zapret) (for Deep Packet Inspection -DPI- Block and Circumvention), and Suricata/Snort (for Network Intrusion Detection).
* __Level 33__: Use the IRC, e-mail and torrent services available inside i2p, and use Tor as an outproxy for i2p when in need to access the regular web (only for browsing).
* __Level 34__: Compile the kernel yourself and add only necessary features and selected modules. Enable KASLR and Capabilities on kernel configuration.
* __Level 35__: When possible give your applications a separate user account and use sudo, chroot, fakeroot, ulimit and quota with them.
* __Level 36__: Use Lynis to audit your system.
* __Level 37__: Use a complete host intrusion detection framework like Tiger, which can work with Samhain (for integrity check), Unhide/Chkrootkit/rkhunter (for rootkit detection), ClamAV/Linux Malware Detect and a system logger like sysklogd.
* __Level 38__: Use [RSBAC](https://www.rsbac.org/) (for RBAC) with AppArmor (for filesystem ACL).
* __Level 43__: Buy a VPS in a non-extradition, privacy friendly country outside the Five Eyes under a different name and with a good way of not getting traced by payments, then set up your own VPN server so you can audit all the traffic.
* __Level 44__: Buy a phone with Replicant and libre firmware. Tehnoetic sells an S3 phone with Replicant and only libre firmware enabled, so far is the best option.
* __Level 45__: Buy a router compatible with LibreCMC and install LibreCMC, keep it up to date and give it a strong password.
* __Level 46__: Buy a computer compatible with the Libreboot firmware and the Linux-libre kernel, then install both or buy it preinstalled. Thinkpads model x200, t400 and t500 are the best options. Remember to check a compatible Wi-Fi card and physically remove cables connecting cameras and microphones.
* __Level 47__: Buy a separate camera and microphone and phisically remove any cameras and microphones from your computer.
* __Level 49__: Use only libre software (software "free as in freedom").
* __Level 50__: Reduce the amount of software installed in your computer.
* __Level 51__: Opt for text-based programs with less library dependencies than their GUI counterparts.
* __Level 52__: Support the GPL license as to prevent proprietary license wrapping (as with BSD/MIT/Apache licenses). GPLv3 in specific to prevent tivoization, a hardware level lockout method.
* __Level 53__: Deduplicate efforts and converge strategies to achieve a "tight base system" in common (use the koan "if is not strictly necessary it should be strictly optional, but still optional"), and that means making things modular and avoiding unnecessary dependencies instead of trusting "crypto libraries" like in Python.
* __Level 54__: Abandon "cloud computing" and traditional, non-publicly auditable, data mined networks and erase your online persona. Use exclusively peer-to-peer services with specific protocols instead of all-in-one networks. Use IRC for live chat, and NNTP for newsgroups (per topic forums, what "social media" should be).
* __Level 55__: Abandon the Internet. Participate in local mesh networks and collaborate with global scale meshnet projects like [gternet](https://mesh.gentoo.today/wiki/Main_Page).
* __Level 56__: [Don't f\*ck it up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1q4Ir2J8P8). Protip: you can't.
