Reading about Malaysia’s recent demands for telcos to hand over detailed phone records and internet usage data sent a chill down my spine. Not just because it’s happening in our neighbouring region, but because it feels like watching history repeat itself with frightening predictability.

The news transported me back to 2013 when Edward Snowden’s revelations about mass surveillance programs shook the world. Back then, many of us in the tech industry suspected something was amiss, but the scale of it was still shocking. Now, sitting in my home office and reading about Malaysia’s move, I’m struck by how familiar this playbook has become.