I think the cost can be raised, at least, if people not only refuse to take such jobs themselves, but attach some social and professional stigma to those who do. Sure, with enough money you'll likely be able to find someone who will do pretty much anything unscrupulous; even extreme examples, like getting someone to program a human-trafficking back-office app, can be completed if you offer enough money and look in the right places.
But the idea is to reduce the supply of willing workers for surveillance-state applications, and raising the cost of those who can be hired for the job, by making sure it's seen as a somewhat shameful job, rather than just another "regular" one. That at least incrementally slows things down and drains resources of the people building such systems. That would have a real effect, except in the case of an adversary who actually has infinite resources and can solve any staffing problem by just throwing more money at it, without compromising anything else.
But the idea is to reduce the supply of willing workers for surveillance-state applications, and raising the cost of those who can be hired for the job, by making sure it's seen as a somewhat shameful job, rather than just another "regular" one. That at least incrementally slows things down and drains resources of the people building such systems. That would have a real effect, except in the case of an adversary who actually has infinite resources and can solve any staffing problem by just throwing more money at it, without compromising anything else.