I'm completely uninterested in the distinction you draw here.
Actually, several distinctions. What do you mean 'our OWN governments'? This is a world where hostile foreign governments can wreak absolute havoc… including by popularizing arguments literally the same as the one you're making, for the purpose of undermining that government and fomenting revolution for their own selfish, imperialist purposes.
I can think of two great powers (okay, one formerly great) actively doing this within my lifetime, and the formerly great one was doing it as hard as it possibly could, within the last ten years, and is still doing it.
I don't trust your argument at all. You're leaving out significant things, conveniently.
The difference between my own government and a foreign government is twofold:
1. It has always been illegal for a foreign state actor to surveil me, and in any case has no authority over me and can't put me in jail (as long as I'm not in their country).
2. My own government is legally entitled to surveil me and collect my personal data, and can indeed put me in jail.
It is not illegal for a foreign state actor to surveil you. In fact governments sign agreements with other governments for them to surveil you while we surveil their citizens and trade information. This gets around the illegal act of government spying on it's own citizens.
Your government mass surveil's foreign citizens. But they can't mass surveil citizens legally.
Actually, several distinctions. What do you mean 'our OWN governments'? This is a world where hostile foreign governments can wreak absolute havoc… including by popularizing arguments literally the same as the one you're making, for the purpose of undermining that government and fomenting revolution for their own selfish, imperialist purposes.
I can think of two great powers (okay, one formerly great) actively doing this within my lifetime, and the formerly great one was doing it as hard as it possibly could, within the last ten years, and is still doing it.
I don't trust your argument at all. You're leaving out significant things, conveniently.