It does seem so, doesn't it?

I'm seeing reduced activity, compared with activity across the past 3 years. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Nonetheless, there must be some hesitancy even towards saidit.

Yep

This is partly due to a certain lack of transparency about who owns/controls it.

We know who owns it, where he lives, his views on conspiracies, and his other views.

Let's not forget that privatizing digital town squares was done to bypass actual freedom of speech.

I know nothing about it.

Eventually, a non-privately/corporately owned platform, a publicly-owned platform, really analogous to a town square, has to eventually be created, where, by law and to the extent allowed by law, e.g. freedom of speech, is implemented.

I doubt that's possible.

Sincere political views by actual people must be protected,

Agreed

and only taken away if someone is caught shilling, spamming, advertising,

New mods are deleting some of this stuff, which is great.

and/or committing other forms of lying for pay.

Not sure we can spot all of it.