Relay operators always had the freedom to shadowban and censor that was never in question.

Unlike mastodon, nostr still has:
* Identity ownership: no relay operator can take it or delete it
* Data ownership: content and social graph is not owned by relay operators and can be easily backed up
* Data authenticity: data cannot be untampered by relay operators, everything is cryptographically signed
* Data mobility: the same verifiable data can be moved to other relays easily
* Multiple communication channels: the ability to use multiple relays means that a single one cannot cut you off from the rest of nostr

What is possibly missing:
* Data discoverabilityv: if you use niche small relays due to big relay censorship, other users might not easily get your content. Outbox model mitigates this.