I understand the viewpoint of the article, but it assumes that the person waving the wand particularly cares about everyone else.
Personally, with the Investigatory Powers Bill in the UK, I will "wave the wand of a technology solution" to conserve and protect my own privacy.
Sure, if the policy was changed upstream then a lot more people would benefit than the technically inclined folks, but if there's a bug upstream we don't all sit with it and wait, we fix it locally and vendor.
It also assumes the person waving the wand has any faith that they can help anyone else.
The last paragraph, about holding the House accountable in 2018? That deserved the preface about "not understanding US politics". The privacy voting bloc is small, and the vast majority of it lives in places that already elect pro-privacy reps - Boston and SF are incredibly limited in what they can achieve.
I'd like to see internet privacy enshrined in US law. I'll fight to make that happen. But it's an "empty the ocean with a teacup" situation, and in the meantime it makes total sense for people to help themselves and those around them.
Personally, with the Investigatory Powers Bill in the UK, I will "wave the wand of a technology solution" to conserve and protect my own privacy.
Sure, if the policy was changed upstream then a lot more people would benefit than the technically inclined folks, but if there's a bug upstream we don't all sit with it and wait, we fix it locally and vendor.