Weird that Torvalds line applies to you most days-- 
Definitely.
If you think you can defeat political powers without the use of politics...
The politics of the Knowledge Age is delivering code that causes people to use it en masse. I did that for example with Cool Page at the end of 1998, where by 2000 or so, it had 335,000 verified websites according to AltaVista ("link:3dize.com" was the query) and the internet population was 1/10 of what it is now. Imagine little ole me creating 3.35 million hardcore users of something in today's population. And I was just getting started when my eye got exploded by a GI pipe and had to spend 2000 - 2002 in surgeries.
So what I am saying is that politics of this new age is about doing and creating something that people are compelled to use. And then they do. And they discover, "hey this works better, fuck the old world". And with that, the old world crumbles away...
There is still talking involved, e.g. marketing, design, business development, economic theory work, etc.. Not just programming. But programming is an essential component.
Use is the key. Let me repeat that again. Use. Use. Use.
You're missing my point. Facebook is used by a lot of users and the governments monitoring those users. I'm saying private networks won't work until there is a political/social will to move to those networks. It's like fast food, most people won't accept that it is bad for them until it is too late or someone in power tells them. Making healthy foods alone won't do the trick.
Motivation is key. Let me repeat that again. Motivation. Motivation. Motivation.
To put it simple: either your network has to be better: easier to use and more efficient and more profitable than the monitored alternatives or the political will has to be there. I don't think you can get around this unless you only want privacy for the chosen few?