On the bright side, NSA/PRISM has helped govt's around the world stop terror threats.
This is why George Orwell's 1984 is rocketing up the book rankings. People need reminding that a benevolent government today can be a totalitarian one in a few years. Then what happens if they want to find something you have done illegally, because you were putting up anti-government posters? Edward Snowden points out: they can extrapolate criminality into an innocent life because of that person's web of connections.
As a Kiwi you should check out the film "Sleeping Dogs".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Dogs_(1977_film)