It is more likely that the implimentation was more difficult than they could
have ever imagined. Chances are the forces behind this are still at it.
The United States takes action to censor at a different level (with greater
resources) and these countries are basically trying to duplicate it with
fewer resources.
The United States can easily go out and have banks censor financial
transactions for instance to prevent unwanted political groups from forming,
copyright infringement from happening, or gambling sites from being utilized
by its citizens.
All of this is a type of censorship.
