If we use this logic, we must conclude that it is more acceptable in the state's eyes (or at least the state wants everybody to think it is more acceptable) to murder children than to take photos of a prototype phone. This is an extremely disturbing case if your suggested reasoning is correct.
Which government? We have thousands of them in US, in case you hadn't noticed. My point is that 'the state' is not a monolithic entity, and the comparison of two different crimes in different jurisdictions in different decades doesn't mean anything very much.
