I don't think those are analogous. Reading an then burning a letter would be like having a text conversation on your phone and then deleting all trace of it from the device.
Anyway, if your issue is that there needs to be a "good reason" to surveil, then it seems to me that the problem is easy enough to resolve in principle by having the same exact safeguards in place as we do for any other surveillance. In other words, don't let law enforcement into the phone without a warrant.
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