48. States should recognize the importance of whistleblowers who act in the public interest to uncover human rights abuses and corruption in both the public and the private sector. They should adopt legislation and practices that afford whistleblowers protection and provide a safe alternative to silence. In legal proceedings against whistleblowers, the public interest in the information that has been disclosed should be given appropriate weight. In particular, whistleblowers should be effectively protected from prosecution and punishment for disclosing state secrets when uncovering information about the responsibility of state agents or non-state actors for serious human rights abuses, which must not be protected as state secrets. 49. Freedom of opinion and expression applies online. Generally, states should pro- mote and facilitate equal access to the Internet and digital information technologies. All state regulation of Internet communication must fully comply with the strict requirements that international standards set for limitations to the right to freedom of opinion and expression. It is inconsistent with these standards to censor online content and block or filter websites, foreign news and information or other services solely because they contain information that is critical of the government or discuss issues that are controversial in society. 50. States should ensure that Internet service providers and other private companies that are subject to their jurisdiction but operate internationally do not facilitate such undue restrictions to online content on their territory or in other states. Bloggers and users of social media should be protected from repercussions for posting content and comments that are critical of their government. Freedom of the media 51. The media environment – including the printed media, radio, television and the Internet – should be conducive to the participation of human rights defenders in public debates in order to help develop new ideas towards improving the protection of human rights and meeting new human rights challenges. States should therefore take measures to create a strong and pluralistic media and to improve the access of human rights defenders to the media. 52. States should review their media laws, policies and practices and should guarantee that these laws are conducive to an independent, pluralistic and human rightsfriendly media environment, in which knowledge of and respect for human rights is promoted more generally. Measures to strengthen the independence of the media should be accompanied by the independent training of journalists and media workers, including human rights education, as part of their professional training. 53. States have an obligation to refrain from direct or indirect censorship, and should not exert formal or informal control over the media system in order to prevent or punish criticism of the government, reporting on human rights violations, mismanagement and corruption or discussion of issues that are controversial in society and 10 Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders