2 things you're missing: 1) The majority of what got people riled up about Snowden's revelations was that the US government was spying ON THEIR OWN CITIZENS.

2 things you're missing: 1) The majority of what got people riled up about Snowden's revelations was that the US government was spying ON THEIR OWN CITIZENS. In places like China and Russia nobody batted an eye because the expectation is obviously the government already does that. Call it naive, but the majority of the US population believed (and still believes) that their government is above that. That regardless of whatever questionable evil the US military conducts abroad in the name of "democracy", domestically people have freedom and liberty. Sure, the post 9/11 world eroded it somewhat, but GENERALLY there is still the concept of privacy. Snowden shattered this fantasy. Everyone is being watched. All those conspiracy whackjobs, all the hollywood "worst nightmares" turned out to be true. That the government was doing this, and that it reacted to the leaks with extreme prejudice and desire to treat Snowden like a traitor rather than a patriot is what led to people considering him a hero. I could go deeper into the other arguments like "I have nothing to hide so why should I care that the government is monitoring what I'm saying", but I'd like to know more about your stance first. Do you think that the domestic surveillance is justified for the greater good of international security? Or do you simply believe that it's obvious and expected of the government to take on this role, and fighting it is ridiculous.