How the government uses the technology, however, appears far less sophisticated. I often wonder if it even has the manpower and resources to review all the material it gathers from surveillance operations. It has this incredibly sophisticated spyware, and yet most signs indicate reckless use without real material gain. Sometimes it can feel as if the government bought a Lamborghini to race around a go-kart track.

What do you do, in broad strokes, to keep your communications secure?

The least tech-forward thing you can imagine: I meet face to face with people.

I tend to avoid messaging or talking about specific work targets on my main Mexican phone. I’m pretty sure I was sent Pegasus, the spyware purchased by the Mexican government, and though I’ve wiped that phone and replaced it, I’m cautious. I use the typical encrypted apps for communications and maintain several phones, which I use for different purposes. It’s annoying lugging all of them around, and I get funny looks at the airport when I toss three phones into the scanner basket. It’s also a pain keeping them all charged.

How has the tech landscape changed in Mexico over the years? Is there a lot of tech start-up activity?

Lots has been written about the booming tech scene in Mexico, in particular in the city of Guadalajara, which is the latest place to be given some kind of Silicon Valley moniker. There are a bunch of start-ups there, taking advantage of the tens of thousands of engineering graduates coming out of prestigious programs in Mexico every year.

Is it a game-changer? I don’t know, to be honest. The entrepreneurs and officials here were trying to drum up support for recruiting foreign-born Silicon Valley engineers, to take advantage of President Trump’s immigration policies. Not sure that went anywhere past the headlines, though.