They're worse than malls, because malls don't entice people with an appearance of aligned values and then stomp all over self expression, once they gain enough clout with a majority and/or powerful firms who have already amassed effective PR strategies.
Aaron's naivety regarding government was sad though it isn't unusual. The Kevin Mitnick documentarians had less idea of how it works than random strangers they interviewed on the streets but knew full well, by the time Aaron's struggle came into view. They assume the judicial system is a viable check against tyranny, rather than an extension of it. He is one in a long line of suburban born optimists whose heart and mind is ill prepared for the reality that the world of politics is in the US. Just as cut throat as corporate tyranny, if not more so, depending on your cause. As it stands, there is little distinction between corporate power/government power, as certain whistle blowers have revealed with precise clarity in recent years.
What's shifted, is that Silicon Valley didn't have these long standing relationships with government, as did big telecom, oil lobbies, etc.. So, most people assumed it would remain autonomous from such influence and behave according to market demands. As ought be strikingly apparent to anyone who pays the slightest attention; the government can and does pick winners and losers, has the means to shut down large companies, if they deem them a threat.
As trivial as this spat over censorship here may seem, I believe it will inculcate the culture and grow to become more acceptable by everyday people over time. Fascism needs support to be realized. Be it support of ignorance or conscious use of ignorant people. It will fester, it will grow, it has nothing standing in its way and the most powerful institutions support it. Welcome to neo-feudalism. All your distractions will only amount to more of the same until you find yourself in the real world, with a genuine cause for justice and you too are god-smacked with the full force of those who keep people in line with such distractions. Enjoy!