It's important to see an idiom like that contextually. Of course there's going to be a difference if you're in Spain on the streets facing off the police or if

It's important to see an idiom like that contextually. Of course there's going to be a difference if you're in Spain on the streets facing off the police or if you're going to a gaming event hosted by a games developer. Clamping down will take on different meanings depending on who is involved or where it's taking place, but I don't think it's wrong to use 'clamping down' in this context.