The tone of this article suggests Snowden is nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game. Why should anyone care so much about him? We've heard repeatedly

The tone of this article suggests Snowden is nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game. Why should anyone care so much about him? We've heard repeatedly that what he has disclosed - a massive amount of spying on Americans and other nationals - was already known by everyone. Who was that person who said: If you are worried about someone discovering your "secret" activities, then maybe you be doing those activities in the first place. Maybe the sooner politicians accept that "frictionless sharing" is the future, the better off we'll all be? What do you think? Other commenters have pointed out that most users outside HN do not care about data privacy. So why should politicians care? Are they a special case? I thought they represent the views of their constituents.