2004, far less Internet connectivity to sustain awareness and outrage, and less impact.
Our lives weren't nearly as completely mediated by online services.
"Total Information Awareness" made a splash in the news around 2004 also, but then faded.
Also, Bush's team was busy outraging everyone so many other ways, like blowing up Iraq for oil money, and making up nonsense legal defenses for kidnapping and physical torture of civilians.
I don't think that's it. I think it's more that the public was just more accepting of this kind of thing closer to the wake of 9/11. But regardless, that may explain the muted reaction when the story broke, but not why everyone seems to have forgotten about it. I honestly have a hard time understanding what it is that Snowden even exposed given that the PATRIOT ACT was public record.
Our lives weren't nearly as completely mediated by online services.
"Total Information Awareness" made a splash in the news around 2004 also, but then faded.
Also, Bush's team was busy outraging everyone so many other ways, like blowing up Iraq for oil money, and making up nonsense legal defenses for kidnapping and physical torture of civilians.