The expression of power is in who gets to decide the exception to the rules. Real power is rarely beholden to rules. That's why whistleblowers who call out illegal programs are treated like the criminal, because the laws essentially don't matter when dealing with things at that high of level.
Powerful people can lie, cheat, and steal and face zero repercussions. They hold institutional power so groups like the police will protect them regardless of laws being broken. It's not illegal for a corporation to either literally or metaphorically kill someone, because there is no body that will hold them accountable, but it is illegal to assassinate a CEO and systems will pull all stops to hold the assassin accountable.
Its the real reason why Western style democracy ends up being a busybox for people who like rules. The people who can grant endless exceptions have addresses and beds where they rest their heads but people without power cannot decide on an exception to the rules, regardless how dangerous and damaging that person is.
In the U.S. qualified immunity is a creation of the judicial system, and those decisions could presumably be reversed by statute if the political will comes to exist.
No need to invoke qualified immunity; the data privacy laws that have been passed (e.g. the GDPR) make explicit carveouts for government surveillance. Yes, the carveouts are for the jurisdiction's own government only, but that's the one you should be most worried about mass surveillance from in most cases.
AFAIK governments empower specific agencies and groups with qualified immunity. How would such laws be enforced if an agency has immunity?