Not really, no. The real issue here is not that private chats were surveilled. The issue that caused grief is the idiotic reaction to an innocent joke made among friends, and then trying to make the victim pay for that mistake.
Joking about bombs in a private conversation with six friends who know it's a joke is different from joking about bombs where others might overhear. The kind of person who posts on HN might assume Snapchat isn't really private, but most people would not.
> I mean... joking about bomb threats at an airport is not "not doing anything wrong".
This isn't just Snapchat surveillance. Most of the people joking about "bombs" aren't at the airport. If they knew he both joked, and was currently at the airport, then the surveillance has to be much more pervasive somehow.
Sorry, but by this example I shouldn't say "Hi" to my friend "jack" at the airport because it will sound like "hijack". I expect airports to have uniquely high numbers of "jokes" about airplane hijackings as such a thing is on everyones mind.
Happy to explain. Due to previous attacks people and law enforcement around air travel are more on edge about such threats. This is because for inherent technical reasons during a flight a relatively small explosive can have devastating consequences. This is due to the pressure difference between the cabin and the atmosphere at cruise altitude , and the inherent energies incorporated in an airliner. (Both potential energy due to altitude, kinetic energy due to speed and chemical energy in the fuel.)
> are you implying its okay to do if the target is a rural farmhouse, but not an airport?
I'm not implying that. I simply did not claim anything about threats agains rural farmhouses.
> in a private message to friends? it most definitely is.
whether law enforcement is more on edge is their problem. Either you are ACTUALLY threatening, or you're not. A joke between friends in a private channel is NOT a threat.
I had a gate agent joke about needing to check a replacement plane for bombs before we can board. She said it over the intercom and then said "I probably can't joke about that at an airport."
There was a lot of laughter and it made me far less annoyed about the delay. It was hilarious.
"We are checking the plane for bombs" cannot be interpreted as a threat. If it were to be misunderstood as serious, it would indicate an abundance of caution by the airline.
"I am going to blow up a plane" sure can. If it were to be misunderstood as serious, it would indicate an immediate threat to the health and safety of hundreds of people.