Ya I dunno man... This is for the gilded cage and it is real to a certain extent. But how would this be implemented in a world where people only use Bitcoin? "Here, use our software to prevent people we deem criminals from buying things at your establishment." Are bitcoiners really going to fall for that?

Regardless, I used to listen to Snowden's speeches a lot and I've read his book. After a period of time I found that he's very paranoid and I suspect that paranoia was foolishly and unknowingly engineered by his own hand due to some kind of inner personal demons. That is not to say he was wrong about leaking and what he leaked. That is also not to say he doesn't have a high threat risk situation and that's not to say his advocacy for privacy is entirely wrong.

My point being is that I think he has some tunnel vision and perhaps some issues. He used to praise Monero's privacy first design a lot in the past and due to his privacy tunnel vision he hadn't thought through Bitcoin and the Lightning network's privacy tradeoffs and implications. I haven't kept up with how he views Bitcoin and Monero today, which is certainly a fault in my point and my suspicions.

But if his mind hasn't changed much, then I doubt he would have any peace of mind if he was pardoned. He would still be living in fear. I respect what Snowden has done and he should be pardoned. He's right that the US government does indeed spy on its citizens. But above all I think he needs some help, he deserves to no longer live in fear.