>it's a democratic government that can easily be voted out.

The group of individuals handling this data are more than likely to be bureaucratically appointed rather than democratically elected.

>It doesn't help anyone cling to power.

On the contrary, it is human nature to do so.

> The group of individuals handling this data are more than likely to be bureaucratically appointed rather than democratically elected.

Exactly what I was going to reply. There is no need for any conspiracy theories to acknowledge that in almost any democratic states of these days "states within a state" exist when it comes to surveilance and intelligence services. While political function owners come and go with each election, those organisations seem to be more structural conservative following agendas which reach beyond any legislative period.

The point is the legislations are written by people who are often technologically inept and from a political culture of placing their own opinions above the advice of the experts.

You also see the same nonsensical policies on other topics like global warming, gun control (in the US), the war on drugs, and weird alternative treatments available on the NHS.

A publicity stunt so, come the next election, said government can leverage what the masses might see as a good/harmless idea. The minority of people who know better won't be statistically significant when it comes to the polls.

Democracies can fail, for example the recent rise of Erdogan. Asshats in power want democracy to fail because when it does they will be the ones in power.