I think it is a mistake to buy into the logic that using encryption means you have something to hide.

Regardless of the framing of the article, many people likely read this and thought, "yes, it would be nice to be confident my messaging is private even from mass government surveillance."

This does not mean they are drug dealers. It means that they have concluded wide-dragnet surveillance programs are worth opting out of, especially if it's very easy to do so.