Doesn’t mean we should make it easier for government. I don’t disagree with your statement. Snowden has said he could just pop in your email address and see everything. I seriously doubt that was stopped.
I've been a proponent for reopening, but doing it in a way that not only keeps people safe, but also preaches a message that things are not normal to where people relax.
I think this specific measure not only directly helps on the safety/tracking front, but also helps keep people in line mentally from falling into the belief that things are going to be normal now.