The muzzle may be growing tighter, but that's because the government has lost control of the prisoner's hands, and he is free to write what he wants. I think that we're not seeing so much as a return to repression, but friction created because states are having to deal with the reality of not being able to contain information the way they once were. There's no need to hire a Leni Riefenstahl to produce your next big propaganda piece, because it will be mocked and debunked in a matter of minutes on the internet. These governments have to act boldly, because they think they can quash the coming rebellions before they happen. Eventually, I think the technology will progress to the point where it's futile to even try to suppress speech. Let the people throw a fit. Eventually, even the hardest core anti-blasphemers will come to the realization that they can't destroy their village every time someone on the other side of the world does something they don't like. In America, speech is only getting freer, and we're efficient at anything, it's exporting our culture. Freedom of speech is decidedly NOT in retreat. If it were, there would be no need for a crackdown.