This kind of attitude has a very chilling effect on free and unrestricted speech and thought. It puts people back in to silos of thought, blanches their speech,

This kind of attitude has a very chilling effect on free and unrestricted speech and thought. It puts people back in to silos of thought, blanches their speech, and really works against the kind of free information sharing within globally distributed networks of like-minded individuals that's been enabled by the internet. Perhaps preventing the stifling and free-flow of ideas by way of fear of being watched is one of the major reasons for privacy. Bizarrely, the Snowden leaks may well have the same effect albeit a likely unintended effect.