Two commentaries argue that “digital authoritarianism”—using technology for surveillance and censorship to suppress dissent—is expanding beyond China. They describe how China combines extensive domestic surveillance and content controls with cyber-espionage, disinformation, and influence operations targeting audiences abroad. The analyses then turn to democracies, warning that they can drift into similar practices. One argument focuses on the role of exporting and deploying surveillance tools, including spyware-like capabilities, and how these can be used to monitor activists and other perceived opponents. The other frames the issue as a choice: democracies can either protect digital rights or become complicit in a broader global system that enables authoritarian methods at scale, including through newer AI capabilities. Across both sources, the central claim is that digital surveillance and manipulation are increasingly portable—moving across borders through commercial products, state partnerships, or policy adoption—raising concerns about rights, transparency, and accountability. The pieces present the trend as a concern for democratic institutions as much as for rival states, while still distinguishing China’s prominence in the current landscape.