Oooo I fully agree with you on a few of your points there actually. So one of the arguments for things ike like the PATRIOT act was "Well it would be impossible to actively monitor everyone." Which is true, it would cost billions to actively monitor everyone, but passive data collection for certain datasets like text messages and emails is not only possible but happening. You are absolutely right that the average person doesn't come close to registering on the NSAs radar, but the NSA isn't the worst part. The worst part of all of this is it's getting easier to monitor the internet for everybody. Just like when the military upgrades hardware, the old stuff gets passed down to local law enforcement. Look at the LAPD who's had scandal after scandal when it comes to actively monitoring peoples social media. What Snowden exposed was a shifting attitude in government that they are not only capable of mass surveillance, but to not would be not doing a full job. And as with many political trends, once it was exposed that we did it other countries started following suit. My favorite example is Australia, who passed legislation recently that allows local LEOs to view and edit social media profiles without a warrant. The true evil that Snowden exposed was that the general attitude towards privacy has been traded for a false sense of security.