Yes, for individuals, it's worse. For accurate information, it's probably a wash, or a close call. There are so many other ways of biasing information streams than overt oppression.

This is nonsense. If the opposing viewpoint can’t even be put across due to the threat of jail time, you only get one. Whatever manipulation you feel occurs in other systems, outright suppression of dissenting opinion is worse, for the individual and for accuracy of information.

Such as social media banning the Hunter Biden story just before the election and suspending the New York Post's account?

Boohoo, the social media companies decided what they wanted published on their platform. I am so oppressed.

No, not such as that, because there are other places you can talk about it and reporters are free to report it in their own publications.

Meanwhile in Russia, mentioning things that go against the official line gets you actually imprisoned for years.

Get a grip. You are not being oppressed. You may need to spend less time consuming social media though, and realise that what facebook or twitter allow is not the whole world, just a noisy subset. You are allowed to post your hunter biden conspiracy theories elsewhere, you can even stand up your own website and post it all there, and the worst that will happen is people will laugh at you. In Russia you are not.