If you can provide some evidence that published ideas that have been soundly defeated get resurrected unjustly and that this has harmed progress, then you might have a point. This hasn't happened that I know of.

For instance, the best example I can think of are local, realistic interpretations of quantum mechanics, which most physicists consider to be soundly defeated by this point. However, some of them are completely warranted (like 't Hooft's cellular automata interpretation of QM), and the debate has actually driven some great work in quantum foundations.

There are legitimate topics that can jeopardize ones career or even personal safety if you broach them publicly. For example I think stating the equations 'woman == human female' or 'lesbian == female homosexual' has gotten a lot of people in trouble in recent years. Even on many social media platforms and content management platforms that's bound to get you banned.

> silenced rather than defeated

No-platforming exists though, many people are silenced. Some people do need safe cover, as internet mobs can do real damage, as internet mobs can turn into IRL abuse even.

In the last decade there has developed a real culture of fear surrounding woke and identity politics. Lots of people quake at the prospect of committing wrongthink, performing wrongspeak, and instead push into the other direction via virtue signaling, to ward off potential attacks and keep their rightthink membership up to date.

At this point anonymity is definitely a necessary tool for so many people who would otherwise be exposed to varying levels of danger for speaking.