The author repeatedly refers to the NSA operating within the bounds of the law and set policy. Do not be fooled by that decoy. Yes, they may be operating legally;but there in lies the fundamental problem: the law and policy is lax, to put it gently.
A majority consensus of those who have been bribed enough to make a mockery of the idea.
The simple tragedy is that most Americans don't have the time or inclination to understand the nuances of the issue -- at least not to a degree that they'd vote on that issue.
Most people seem to think "higher taxes bad; tax the rich; end welfare; increase welfare; no free school lunches; more free lunches.." People seem to be almost binary in their understanding of the issues of the day.
Let's hope that changes. The fact is that most people can at least understand the idea of online privacy, but when issues like illegal file sharing or similar things that aren't in the mainstream of your average person, then the passion for the issue is muted.
If, for example, there were high profile cases that made the national news about Grandma getting violated in a detrimental way by the NSA, then maybe the issue would gain traction. However, privacy violations typically happen to either a "criminal" or "someone else." So the issue is ignored.
It's everyone's issue, but the issue hasn't been well framed. It's the same logic used to get traffic camera installed: "If you ain't doing anything wrong, then it shouldn't matter."
Frustrating.
“No existing statutes control, limit, or define the signals intelligence activities of the NSA.”
-Roy Banner
No matter what policy the NSA comes up with, it cannot trump our fourth amendment right, nor our right to interpret it.