The original meaning of "...the pen is mightier than the sword."

The clause in the sentence before that part reads "Beneath the rule of men entirely great,..." It was referring to authoritarian government.

>Powerful enough governments can just choose to ignore or re-interpret things any way they like and act on them, though.

Seems like a common trend in many countries around the world. Tech companies tend to be american, so they're a popular punching bag/scapegoat when it comes to enforcement actions.