Community Guidelines

Last Updated: 2026-05-18

PetitionOnline.ie is a platform for genuine civic, social, and political campaigns. These guidelines explain what is and is not allowed on our platform. Petitions that violate these guidelines may be removed and the author's account may be suspended.

All Public Content

These guidelines apply to all public content on the platform, including petitions, updates, comments, images, and usernames.

Prohibited Content

Violation of Privacy

Sharing private information about individuals without their consent.

Protection of Minors

Do not publish names, images, or other identifying information about minors unless you have the legal right to do so.

Harassment and Bullying

Targeted content against private individuals that could lead to personal harm or defamation.

Defamation

Content that makes false statements of fact about identifiable private individuals that could damage their reputation.

Source References

Petitions should include source references for factual claims, especially when the claims are serious, disputed, or could affect someone's reputation. Source references should usually link to a recognized news outlet, official source, or another reliable source. For example, do not claim that a politician, public official, or other identifiable person has committed a crime, acted corruptly, or is corrupt unless the claim is supported by a link to a reliable source.

Hate speech

Content that promotes or incites violence, discrimination, dehumanization, or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This includes content that targets ethnic or national minority groups, calls for collective punishment of ethnic or national communities, or portrays groups of people as less than human.

Calls to Violence

Any content that incites or glorifies harm against others.

Glorifying Terrorism

Content that supports or celebrates terrorist organizations or terrorist acts.

Petitions Calling for the Death Penalty or Torture

Content that calls for the death penalty or torture, including through proposed legislative changes, is prohibited.

Unverified Criminal Allegations

It is prohibited to publish allegations of criminal activity against individuals unless all the names and crimes have already been reported by trustworthy and recognized news media outlets. If you do publish criminal accusations, you must include a reference to the news media source that reported the names and crimes.

If you know a crime has occurred, contact the police or news media. They have the resources to do the investigation.

Misinformation

Content that deliberately spreads false information or health misinformation that could mislead users or cause harm.

Sexual Content

Explicit sexual content or content of a sexual nature is not permitted.

Graphic Violence

Content that graphically depicts violence or the results of violence.

Impersonation

Pretending to be someone else or representing an organization without authorization.

Commercial Spam

Unsolicited promotions, links, or any other form of unauthorized advertising.

Fraud and Fundraising Links

Links to fraudulent websites, unverified fundraisers, crypto addresses, personal payment accounts, or bank details are prohibited.

Intellectual Property Violations

Content that infringes upon someone else's copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights without permission.

Petitions Against School Staff Members

Petitions against school staff members are prohibited.

Custody and Child Protection Cases

Petitions about specific custody disputes, child protection cases, or social services decisions are prohibited. These matters involve sensitive personal information about minors and families, and are better handled through legal channels.

Petitions Regarding Online Community Members

Petitions targeting specific users of online communities, such as calls to ban or unban them, are not allowed.

Material Petition Edits

After a petition has received signatures, its main request and purpose must not be changed into a different cause.

Misleading Translations

Translations of a petition must not change the original petition's main request, meaning, or relevant factual claims.