Terms and conditions of use
As an open platform, we are committed to freedom of expression. You will see a range of views, as all petitions on e-petition.net were created by community members. Anyone can use e-petition.net, no matter who they are, where they live and what they believe, as long as they follow simple guidelines to keep our platform safe and open.
This applies to all content messages. “Content” includes, but is not limited to, petitions, updates, comments, photographs and usernames, these community guidelines, as well as our rules for the use of e-petition.net
First, here are some things we like to see you do on e-petition.net:
Speak out on any issues you wish to change
Tell your personal story when launching a petition – it’s powerful to hear how you’re affected by a problem. Explain the problem, its impact on you, your family, friends or community, and then explain the solution and how others can be part of it. We recognize the need for anonymity in some cases and allow the use of aliases. For example, if you are concerned that using your real name could compromise your security, livelihood or privacy.
Choosing the right decision maker
Choose the decision-maker who can give you what you want. A decision-maker can be a particular person, group or company, who has the direct ability to solve your problem. Work with them constructively, both on our platform and externally, to find solutions.
Engage your friends, family and community
Engage your friends, family and community by sharing your petition to raise awareness. Use the platform’s tools to show others your cause through social media.
Be open to disagreement
Listen to the opinions of others. You may strongly disagree with the content of a petition, but change happens when people with different backgrounds and perspectives can engage in a constructive conversation. As long as it complies with these Community guidelines, any content, however contentious, is allowed on our platform. We constantly see petitions that oppose one issue. That’s one of the many benefits of being an open platform. The most effective way to respond to content you disagree with is to launch a counter-petition and engage others to see your point of view, rather than asking e-petition.net to delete content you don’t like. However, if you think that the content you see does not follow the Community directives, you should let us know.
Inform your supporters of developments
Keep them up to date on the ups and downs of your campaign and suggest ways to stay involved online and offline.
Not to be done
Here are the things we don’t like to see on e-petition.net, which may force us not to agree to edit you or restrict content and accounts in accordance with our policies.
Hate Speech Policy
No violence—we don’t allow content that incites, glorifies, supports, or encourages violence against anyone—and that includes support for violent groups or individuals. No matter how passionate you are about a problem, don’t use calls to violence to express your feelings or support the same behavior of others.
No hate speech—On e-petition.net, we consider hate speech as any content that directly or indirectly attacks a whole class of people because of a characteristic they share. We include in this definition a coded language that is used with the intent or impact of harming a class of people. Do not post content that attacks anyone based on:
age,
color,
disability,
ethnic origin,
gender identity,
health condition,
nationality,
national origin,
race,
religion,
sex,
sexual orientation, or
veteran status.
We do not authorize the content (including symbols and logos) of organizations recognized as hate groups or related persons on e-petition.net. We will also look at the content that supports these groups, individuals or their objectives in violation of community guidelines.
Disinformation and disinformation policy
Do not post false information—Misinformation is the sharing of inaccurate information. When information is verified to be false, we will remove it. We may ask you to verify all your claims if they are contested.
Don’t spread misinformation—Misinformation is the deliberate sharing of incorrect information designed to misrepresent facts and mislead others, often in a coordinated campaign. We use tools to monitor attempts to launch or share e-petition.net disinformation campaigns and will not accept such content.
Do not mislead others—We will delete content that is misleading and could harm others.
Don’t pass yourself off as others—e-petition.net is designed to share real people’s stories and support real problems. You must use an email address that belongs to you to initiate or sign a petition and we do not allow multiple accounts. Do not sign petitions pretending to be other people, do not use someone else’s email address, or impersonate people, including public figures or organizations.
Bullying and Harassment Policy
Don’t violate the privacy of others – Most e-petition.net content is public, so respect the privacy of any other person you mention. Do not post personal information such as private email addresses, identification documents, credit card numbers, residential addresses or private telephone numbers. Do not post photos of people in private places without their consent.
Don’t Intimidate - You can be influential and respectful at the same time. When working to persuade decision makers and other users, focus on people’s actions rather than their personal characteristics. While we expect debate and disagreement, we do not tolerate abuse, harassment, threats, trolling, intimidation or harassment.
Child Protection Policy
Do not harm children — Only parents and legal guardians have the right to post content on their children online, including images.
Do not use e-petition.net to post content that violates child protection laws, including child sexual exploitation and abusive content.
Use of e-petition.net — We want to protect children, which is one of the reasons why you must be 16 years of age or older to use e-petition.net, unless permitted by law. Contact info@e-petition.net if you want to give parental consent for a child to use e-petition.net to campaign.
Other guidelines
Don’t be unnecessarily graphic – Emotional content can make or break a campaign. Graphic content can be used to condemn behaviour or show the severity of a problem. However, if possible, notify other users of this content. Do not post violent, sexually explicit or unnecessarily moving images and words for free.
Do not send spam—e-petition.net is for public interest issues. It is okay to have a commercial interest in the success of your petition, but you should not use the platform to directly sell products or services, send bulk, unsolicited communications, or for any other spam-like behavior.
Do not include personal information, such as your email address, phone number or bank details, in anything you post on e-petition.net.
Don’t break the law – You can use e-petition.net to educate people about the laws you want to change, but it’s not a platform for illegal activity. Make sure that your use of e-petition.net does not violate applicable national laws, including laws protecting the rights of others. For example, make sure you have evidence for the claims you make, as content that is established as defamatory is illegal.
Report issues
How to report a petition on e-petition.net
If you see content that you think may violate our community guidelines, you can report it by logging in and clicking on the “Report a Policy Violation” button (under “Reasons for Signing”) on petitions, or by writing to us at info@e-petition.net.
Emergencies
If you find content on e-petition.net indicating an emergency situation—for example, if a person is in danger—contact us at info@e-petition.net, but contact your local emergency services immediately.
Who will review the reports?
We have moderators to ensure the safety of our platform and those who use it. Once we receive your petition, our moderators will review it under our policies. Upon review, our moderators will assess the steps we need to take to accept the petition. As soon as possible.
What measures could be taken by e-petition.net?
Review of petition updates — When we receive complaints or concerns about a petition, new updates can be reviewed to determine if they can be emailed via e-petition.net. This does not affect the publication of the update; the update will be visible on the petition page, unless there is a violation of the Community guidelines, in which case it will be deleted.
Removal of e-petition.net recommendations - e-petition.net has several ways to highlight petitions on the platform and people can “participate” through petitions promoted so that petitions are recommended to others using the platform. When a petition may present a risk of harm, we can eliminate the possibility of promoting it in this way.
Is the content pre-moderated on e-petition.net?
As an open platform, we will moderate content published on e-petition.net.
Thank you for using e-petition.net and supporting change in your community. We look forward to seeing what you change next!