I meant malicious snooping, like a husband reading texts from his cheating wife.

It's partial fear mongering, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be discussed.

"Nothing has changed to make it necessary now."

That's pretty naive. If you don't want rampant terrorist attacks and criminal activity, then the government needs to stay one step ahead of the small percentage of citizens who do not want to follow the laws that keep us civil. Yes, some laws were created against the best interests of American citizens, but transparency will only help get those corrected.