As phrased your comment is implying that anyone who isn't a "free speech absolutist" isn't an idealist, which does not sound right to me, but I'll assume that w

As phrased your comment is implying that anyone who isn't a "free speech absolutist" isn't an idealist, which does not sound right to me, but I'll assume that was just an accidental byproduct of brevity. That aside, the type of "censorship and corporate control of government" that was prevalent when Aaron Swartz found that organization had strong ties to the post-9/11 insanity that took over Western politics and media. It was a different situation than the ones that you are describing. I wouldn't make any assumptions about whether he would have judged them the same way.