&gt; I imagine Snowden leaks alone have gotten far more &quot;qualified&quot; people engaged in civic activities than we&#x27;ll ever truly comprehend, and have taken a bit of the &quot;fear of rebellion&quot; out of those who might not have spoken up in the past.<p>You wish. The reactions vary from &#x27;oh, I knew that all along&#x27; to &#x27;well, no matter what I do, the spying will continue&#x27; and a whole bunch of shades in between. Then there are those that see Snowden as the great evil (yes, let&#x27;s shoot that messenger) and would like to see him suffer.<p>On the whole the effect of Snowden&#x27;s revelation is a big disappointment, I thought <i>far</i> more would happen because of them but maybe I&#x27;m just too impatient.