I can't say in the particular case of surveillance. One generalized answer to your question is: "if the cost is unethical" then paying it really isn't on the

I can't say in the particular case of surveillance. One generalized answer to your question is: "if the cost is unethical" then paying it really isn't on the table for ethical people. So the cost of doing something unethical is infinite, assuming that you need to remain ethical, and any benefit is necessary smaller than the cost of losing your ethical status. You might not agree that ethics are pragmatically important, but the point here is that it's possible to do a utilitarian calculus even if you don't know fully understand the possible upsides.