Bitcoin is a public blockchain, and it has never been a private blockchain like Monero. Technically, people can use bitcoin better if they know about importance of non custodial wallet, UTXO selection for their transactions as well as Bitcoin full node and Tor when broadcasting their transactions to Bitcoin mempools and what for confirmation from Bitcoin miners.
Misconceptions that many people have is the ideology that since bitcoin is decentralized and give freedom to every user it is misunderstood that it should be private which it is not. Bitcoin is pseudonymous and as such can be used any way you like. Bitcoin is stored on public ledger but one can actually go a bit private if the user choose to use it privately. Using different addresses for each transaction can help to make your transactions private and the other listed methods you stated but still transactions can still be traced if there is need to.
The stereotype of bitcoin been used for criminal purposes is not strange it is one that has been spread by those who hate the technology and wants things to discredit it, monetary scams existed before and after the coming of bitcoin even in traditional banks where there is KYC there are still scams carried out.
When you can't fight it - you discredit its reputation, that's how it is, with BTC or something else new to the world.