This understanding was echoed in the interviews. Although respondents were uncertain about how systematic and coordinated the monitoring from regime authorities actually was, they often assumed it to be comprehensive and permanent. An Iranian human rights defender observed: “I don’t know how much they actually know about my work (…) but I always assume that they know the details of what I am doing.”81 An Egyptian activist pointed out that all human rights activism inside the country was monitored “by default”—therefore he suspected regime authorities were keen to follow activities abroad too.82 The lack of precise information regarding the actual tools and resources at the disposal of security agencies exacerbates the silencing effect of surveillance and contributes to the success of repressive tactics across borders. The assumption of continuous online and offline surveillance pushes activists towards various forms of self-restraint. Egyptian human rights defenders who had organized a protest during the visit of President Sisi to Germany explained that some members of their group participated only in disguise, wearing sunglasses, hats or even a wig, in case they were being observed and photographed by security agents. An Egyptian activist who understood through interrogations of peers inside the country that she was on the radar of security agencies after appearing on television said that this knowledge stopped her from following up on invitations for further interviews and media contributions because she was considering to travel back to the country. “Not only they are surveilling us but we are also surveilling ourselves,” she observed. She also described conflicts within her group about how to deal with the tension between selfcensorship and legitimate security needs.83 A women’s rights defender from Egypt explained that “in any seminar or media appearance I will carefully think about how to phrase my sentences” because “some topics need to be avoided.” She also said that despite her long experience as an activist, the regime had successfully “implant[ed] fear inside me.”84 A journalist from Syria, in turn, expressed mixed feelings about the fact that he had never chosen to work under a pseudonym. He said: “The whole reason for starting the revolution was to break the fear. So if I live in fear all the time and change my name, then we have done nothing, we lost the country for nothing.” At the same time, he admitted that the thought of his parents back in Syria would make him uncomfortable so that he often preferred to keep a “low profile.”85 UNDERMINING IN-COUNTRY TIES In addition to curbing freedom of expression, regime surveillance also targets activists’ ties to their home country. The security of colleagues and friends in-country is a key concern for many activists. An Egyptian human rights defender emphasized how important and challenging it was to remain connected to contacts back home: “This will make both sides more powerful. One target for the government is to isolate people inside from those who are outside. This will make both of them less powerful and less capable.”86 81 Interview I8, December 2018. 82 Interview E2, November 2018. 83 Interview E4, November 2018. 84 Interview E12, March 2019. 85 Interview S18, February 2019. 86 Interview E2, November 2018 25