The digital surveillance industry fended off any sort of straightforward general regulation so long (eg privacy and antitrust), that now the backlash has built

The digital surveillance industry fended off any sort of straightforward general regulation so long (eg privacy and antitrust), that now the backlash has built into a witchhunt that's just lashing out at whatever social ill the yellow press focuses on this week. It's essentially a double win for these companies that are content with high barriers to entry and regulatory capture, but a grave destruction of individual communications freedom.