> Real opinion pieces that actually ask the hard questions like "should the government know less than Google" are all but ignored

Maybe most people on HN don't consider that a hard question? At the very least, I consider it an ill-stated question. I think something a little more transparent would be better: at what point must a company forfeit all knowledge to the government?

And when you put it that way, it really doesn't seem like a hard question to answer. At least, not for me.