This isn't a new thing. The government chooses lots of things for us. What things are legal to buy, eat, etc. are decided for us. Sometimes people need to be protected from themselves. This is why we are going to lose on privacy. Fear-mongering over pedophiles will sway people instead of them looking into the laws and their effect on their lives.
And the government also "chose" that it is "good for us" if people of different races (miscengenation) weren't allowed to get married up until the 60's and that people shouldn't be allowed to have sex with someone of the same sex (sodomy) until the 80s.
So now you're trusting the same government "to protect your privacy" that would like nothing more than if companies were forced to have backdoors to read secure messages?
That's a fair point and some things take time. But government officials change over time. New ideas come in. I'm not sure who I trust less, FB or the government but government moves more slowly. Companies can (and have... and continue...) to manipulate us on a constant basis. I trust them less.
