A/HRC/32/20 citizens’ free social action programmes as well as a system to provide certification for specified non-profit corporations that help to promote the public interest through appropriate business activities with fair management structures.64 75. Where no restrictions on the receipt of foreign funds apply to State institutions or businesses, the same should apply to civil society organizations. The law may provide requirements for the audit of accounts, carried out by an independent body.65 Any restrictions on access by civil society organizations to funding should be prescribed by law, necessary in a democratic society and proportionate to the interest to be protected and applied on a case-by-case basis. Where concerns exist regarding national security, terrorism, money-laundering or similar serious matters, an assessment should be carried out by a competent independent body. 76. Almost all United Nations bodies, funds and agencies have some provision for grants and funds in support of civil society, including UN-Women, UNDP and OHCHR.66 3. Access to communications technologies and connectivity 77. A free, open, safe and secure Internet is indispensable to access diverse sources of data and analysis, to enable individuals to make well-informed decisions and to mobilize people to call for justice, equality, accountability and better respect for human rights (see A/HRC/17/27, para. 2). Increasingly, online information sharing and activism create a dynamic constituency in the campaign for change, particularly among young people, who often pioneer such initiatives. Clear messaging and simple action have created broad-based awareness, open discussions and campaigning capacity far beyond national borders. 78. Online communication and social media are increasingly used by States to reach out to young people and other sectors that may be underrepresented in more traditional forms of political debate and organization. 79. Many civil society actors have developed their own online space, sometimes creating formal networking structures. Communicating online with others to strategize and collaborate to achieve shared goals, exchange experiences or demonstrate solidarity serves to expand space and reduce isolation or marginalization, as experienced by environmental and land rights defenders or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex activists working in unsafe and undermining environments.67 80. The provision of information and communications technology (ICT) services to people living in remote or rural communities, who are likely to be more disadvantaged in terms of access than those in urban areas, helps to address technology gaps (see A/HRC/27/33, para. 22). Indigenous communities, refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons have benefited from free or low-cost ICT to assist their access to information and facilitate their participation in public life and decision-making processes affecting them. 81. Privacy, anonymity, encryption and digital security are central concerns for Internet users (A/HRC/29/32). Human rights principles must be fully integrated into surveillance initiatives to avoid mass surveillance or abuse of “targeted” surveillance measures and hacking of personal e-mail accounts and hijacking, blocking or closure of websites. 64 65 66 67 16 Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva. OSCE/ODIHR. OHCHR, Human Rights Funds, Grants and Fellowships: A Practical Guide for Civil Society (Geneva, n.d.). Association for Progressive Communications.