that's an interesting take with a great deal of truth attached to it. obedience isn't only managed via the whip. some followers will choose to submit because it is their nature.
but i think a use of the surveillance tool is to develop obedience in the pack.
eg they were surveilling the EU commissioner responsible for making decisions about the monopolies of MS and Google. that isn't an innocent activity. that's a top dog using its power to control underlings.
it ain't just about terrorism. surveillance is a tool of control.
how can anyone else have a democracy if the US controls their government's decisions eg via the threat of humiliation via revelation?
so, for instance, where did the story about the socialist french president's affair derive from? once you might have assumed it was gossip. now you cannot.