[andrewfong]

The distinction isn't open vs. closed so much as voluntary vs. involuntary. The point of a free society is that if I want to share my secrets, I'm allowed to do so, and if I don't want to share those secrets, I'm also allowed to do so. It's my choice.

In contrast, in a place like North Korea, there isn't quite the same level of choice. Censorship prohibits me from saying certain things and surveillance makes it difficult to hide other things, regardless of whether I want to or not.

That said, you could certainly argue (and many have argued) that a company placing onerous restrictions on what its employees can say or do is contrary to the principles of an open society, the implication being that the power dynamics in a employment relationship make restrictions on employees less than voluntary.