The writer is director of Bolo Bhi, an advocacy forum for digital rights. REPORTS of hacking of phones, social media accounts and messaging apps, and scams targeting bank accounts are becoming increasingly common. As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do the attempts to scam and spy on its users, with little effort being put into making people more aware. This has also blurred the line between private hackers and state-backed surveillance efforts. It is important to clarify the deep link between privacy and expression — the more one thinks they are under watch, the less free they will feel to express their opinion in clear speech, and that is turning out to be a tragedy for democracy as surveillance has a chilling effect on the right to express legitimate criticism of state policies.