How do you feel about the assertion that the NSA et al were getting something for free, and all this hubbub about privacy and encryption is simply a smokescreen

How do you feel about the assertion that the NSA et al were getting something for free, and all this hubbub about privacy and encryption is simply a smokescreen -- the Google's of the world want their pound of flesh. They see a new and robust revenue stream where the product was being shoplifted, and they're correcting that business oversight. They will give the government what they want, but at a cost. Be it in a dollar amount, backroom hand-greasing, political football, or other otherwise -- the government will pay that cost.