In Singapore's case, we don't need proxies - we can look directly at how the authorities respond to speech which tests the boundaries of dissent and taboo. Which they generally do with rapid and thorough censorship.

One of the things i found interesting about Singapore's censorship is that it's completely open. It is not itself secret, or a taboo subject. When i was there, i stumbled across an exhibition by local artists that was all about a major obscenity/censorship case in the 1980s that had had a big impact on the artistic community. The exhibition was in a public gallery, and i think had even been supported with public funds.