Authoritian regimes doesnt need to pretend. If they find out you are a risk they don't need to gather evidence to get you in prison, so they don't need to pretend they care about censoring the internet for the wrong reasons.

The issue here is the west want to do the same but need a valid justification. Instead of work to stop the actual abuse in the first place they want access to the only way for many people to share information safely.

You could be technically letrate and find your way around all the restrictions, but many people are not and they need access to secure communication channels to arrange there activism.

The fact we don't see backlash against twitter, Facebook, Google, and Apple tells alot about what is this about.

The fact we are seeing more support for "consent" for kids, and the fact that there were many major cases such as Epstein and Maxwell which has been obscured or even hidden when it comes to major profilic people says alot about their intent.