This is true. I didn't mean to say that it would completely negate the effects of PRISM (or similar programs/policies). And it obviously doesn't eliminate the n

This is true. I didn't mean to say that it would completely negate the effects of PRISM (or similar programs/policies). And it obviously doesn't eliminate the need for using encryption when you communicate with external services. But it will still "defend" against it by allowing people to repatriate a substantial amount of their data. The less personally identifiable data for you that Google/Microsoft/et al have on their servers, the more that policies like these become irrelevant.