> Free speech and freedom in general were, not more than 7 years ago, the highest principles of democratic societies. Not really. Post 9/11 brought new forms o

> Free speech and freedom in general were, not more than 7 years ago, the highest principles of democratic societies. Not really. Post 9/11 brought new forms of surveillance which were declared to be legal en-masse. Invasive searches at borders became standard. Within a few years of cryptography becoming the norm, most "free" societies had written laws to ensure that you'd be imprisoned for not turning over your cryptographic keys, for instance. But it goes back further: most people in history have been fine with other people's unfreedom. There's nothing new about that. Whether we think of legal or actual segregation in the US, or the treatment of Catholics or Muslims in the UK, or French attitudes towards Algerians, most of the time people have been perfectly fine without freedom. As the old (communist, I think) song goes: freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all. Still, what is relatively new is the championing of equity over equality, and the voices of minorities over broad sweeping statements from representatives of the powerful. It is progress, even if it is slow, and bitterly fought.