There's a "slight" difference though; how many ppl in the U.S. have been arrested for their political views/views on the system that they exposed through platforms like FB over the last 5-10-... years? I can't think of any, can you? While the dictatorial regimes use spying on ppl's FB & Twitter accounts to spot anything that poses a potential threat to their ruling, the American services MIGHT be collecting info that may be really helpful to spot terrorists threatening national security; that's a HUGE difference.While such mediums have normally been associated with freedom of speech and have recently become a major driving force behind emerging democratic movements, fallout from the NSA spying scandal has dented their credibility.