There's also the fact that liberals - the ideological faction most likely to protest these programs - have been reluctant to criticise a president from their own party.
That's not true, but not surprising coming from the bbc. The BBC needs to differentiate between leftists and liberals. Leftist regimes throughout history have always been for surveillance.
Surveillance isn't just tapping lines. It's also forced government mandates of the individual that are effective in knowing what you're up to.