I think the argument is "HTTP is edge cached (by your ISP, etc) and so a request need not imply a connection received at the remote end. HTTPS is not subject to

I think the argument is "HTTP is edge cached (by your ISP, etc) and so a request need not imply a connection received at the remote end. HTTPS is not subject to caching or other benign man-in-the-middle operations so knowledge of who clicked what is centrally available." This feels like a weak objection to me, since the government will just snoop at the ISP level.