Sensational words like "spies" in titles trigger poorer-quality discussion. Taking those out is routine HN moderation. When we change a title for that reason, we always try to replace it with representative language from the article itself.

"Deflecting blame" doesn't enter into it (what does that even mean in this case?) and the answer to your cheap shot about YC is zero, as far as I know.

HN is a leading place for discussing privacy and surveillance; it has been for years; this article is obviously on topic here. We just want to avoid shitty internet threads. This one is already filling with "fuck you", "data rapers", and other pearls.