I’m not sure how this relates to hashes, but I assuming you're saying the first casualty of war is the truth, in which case in relation to Russia, outside of the politics, it is clear Russia has transgressed illegally on Ukraine soil. So I agree that truth can be eroded, and belief becomes a system not actually based on facts but a persons perceptions. And I think that’s what’s happening here.
With regard to the Government, I have absolutely acknowledged that governments off all types spy on each other and their own people. I just don’t see how a hash file can help a government spy on its people other than for gaining evidence in relation to a crime, for which this is specifically designed. They can already listen in if they wish, they can surveil us in many ways, but searching for a file on a phone for a file they already have is hardly a useful way to gain intelligence.
This is an evidence tool, and unless someone can come up with a reasonable hypothesis as to what they can do with a hash that could hurt the individual, I’ll remain stoic to the ideal that paedophilia and child exploitation is worse than any perceived threat that the government could do, to find I have a publicly available manifesto of the Unabomber (which I deleted because he is a right wing nut job). So it becomes a choice to take a stand based on your risk assessment of the likelihood of the damage it could cause and compare it to the good it would do.
If the fact that people believe it is an intrusion of someone’s rights, then I'm sorry because our rights, philosophically, and actual, are dependent of the rights given by the laws. That’s actually the way it is. People might not like it.
Putting your head in the sand and giving up is not the answer. It’s a tool that could very well provide a link to organised groups. They already do it other ways and this is no different. Why would you want to give up on find these sick perverts?