(Not the op) in such environments where the government doesn't usually care about you, you have more freedoms in practice but they are not guaranteed [1]. In the west you have more freedoms that are guaranteed, but I would say less freedoms in practice as government loves telling you what you can't do all the time. It's a mixed bag either way. People have different preferences.

[1] You could say it's not a freedom unless it's guaranteed. That view is not universal. Freedom in practice trumps freedom on paper for a lot of people.