Yeah protesting hasn't really worked that well to date. But do you think people will become more upset if they're told that transiting through airports now requires you to hand over your unlocked phone to a stranger while they go through all of your email, banking, and social media accounts?
It's easy to dismiss data retention laws because they're so far away. But if someone is literally sitting across from you going through your phone? I think (hope) that image will drive the point home a lot better than it has previously.
thats not true, people simply don't understand how their privacy has been used against them. everyone still thinks this is about ads, but its much worse.
Ultimately most people just simply do not place any value on their privacy.