> I am speaking from the perspective that all governments are corrupt, and as history shows, all governments can and one day will betray the trust of their citi

> I am speaking from the perspective that all governments are corrupt, and as history shows, all governments can and one day will betray the trust of their citizens. I think it's worth being carefully about not falling into absolutes. Yes, some governments, or rather some sub-parts of some governments, are corrupt. Yes, over centuries expect things to go south. But existence proof that some government somewhere sometime was corrupt does not mean all are, and doesn't mean you can never trust rule of the law. > The government would end up burning all their zero days if they attempted surveillance [...] The government will buy a $5 wrench, https://xkcd.com/538/ https://xkcd.com/538/. The only thing that keeps the government from doing that already is the rule of law. Cryptography is a good protection from illegal actors, or from foreign powers etc; if you're fighting something that has immediate physical power over you, I believe the best bet is enforcing limits for the government in a democratic society.