PetitionOnline.ie

General questions about online petitions

Yes, but signatures alone are rarely enough. A petition works by making public support visible, which gives an issue weight that decision-makers, companies and the media find harder to ignore.

The petitions that succeed almost always do more than collect names. They are actively promoted, they reach the right decision-maker, and the people behind them keep their supporters engaged.

You do not necessarily need a huge number of signatures. A local petition with relevant signers can matter more than a much larger one with no clear target.

Read the full guide on whether online petitions work.

There is no magic number. Some petitions succeed with a few hundred signatures, while others gather hundreds of thousands without reaching their goal.

What matters is whether the signatories are relevant to the decision and whether the campaign creates enough visible pressure. The more signatures you have, the harder your petition is to ignore, but a focused campaign usually beats raw numbers.

  1. Open the contact page and choose "Report a petition or a legal matter". Contact Us
  2. Choose "I represent the police or another authority" and fill in the authority, the legal basis and what you request.
  3. Use the official email address of your authority. We reply to that address.

If someone's life or safety is in immediate danger, say so in the form. We handle such requests first.

Frequently asked questions by people who have signed a petition

  1. Go to the petition page
  2. Click the link   Contact the author of the petition

  1. Go to page: Manage your signatures
  2. Type your email address.
  3. Submit the form.
  4. You will receive an email with a link to confirm your email address.
  5. Click the link in the email.
  6. Browse through your signatures to find the signature you want to edit.
  7. Click the button "Edit".

Petitions.com Group Oy
PL 697
00101 Helsinki
Finland

Our company is owned by its employees.

Unfortunately, we do not have enough resources to provide customer service on the phone.

Each signature gets a permanent number when it is added. If a signature is later removed, its number is not given to anyone else, so a gap is left in the list. This ensures that a signature's number always refers to the same person, even after removals.

Gaps do not affect the signature count shown on the petition, which always tells the real number of signatures. In the printable and downloadable signature list the signatures are numbered consecutively, so it has no gaps.

Most common reasons

  • You have mistyped your email address.
  • Your inbox is full. Remove messages to free up space.
  • Your email provider thinks our messages are spam. To ensure you receive our emails, please add [email protected] to your address book or safe senders list.
After you have solved the problem, go to page Manage your signatures.

  1. On the list of signatures, click the flag next to the signature.
  2. Choose what it is about: it is your own signature, someone signed in your name, or you want its comment removed. The comment option is shown only when the signature has a comment.
  3. Answer the questions. Often you can solve it right away; otherwise the form sends your request to us or helps you write to the petition author.

The petition author is the data controller of the signatures, so a request to remove a signature or a comment goes to the author first.

  • If you received a confirmation email for the signature, use the removal link in it. A signature is published only after the link in that email is clicked.
  • Otherwise click the flag next to the signature on the list of signatures and choose "Someone signed in my name".

Someone with the same name may have signed, so check the place and date shown with the signature first. We check every report before we hide a signature, and we contact the petition author.

Yes. The confirmation email contains a code. If the link in the email does not open, go to the page below and enter your email address and the code.

Confirm with a code

  • Every update email has a link at the bottom that stops these emails. You do not need to remove your signature.
  • You can also change this on the page Manage your signatures.
  • To stop update emails from all the petitions you signed at once, use the personal data page. Go to personal-data removal

Yes. On the contact page, choose the language of your message. If it is not English or Finnish, we show you a draft translation into English made with AI and ask you to check that it matches what you meant. We read both your message and the translation.

Do not write personal data such as email addresses or phone numbers in the message itself. The contact form has its own fields for them.

Frequently asked questions by people who have created a petition

  1. Log in
  2. Open My petitions. It lists every petition you have created, with its address.

Your user account was created with the email address you gave when you created the petition. If you do not remember the password, reset it with that address. Reset your password

The address of the petition is also in the email we sent after the petition was created.

Your petition will be published on our petition lists after it has reached five signatures.

How can I promote a petition?

A petition grows when people who care about the topic actually see it. Signatures alone rarely change a decision. Promotion and follow-up do most of the work.

  1. Start with personal messages. Ask friends, family and colleagues one by one. Explain briefly why the petition matters to you, paste the petition link, and ask them to sign and share. A personal ask beats a public post almost every time.
  2. Ask your first signatories to share. Many people sign but do not share unless you ask. Give them a short ready-made message they can copy, and a concrete ask (for example: send it to three people).
  3. Use social media with context. Do not post only a bare link. Write two or three sentences about what is at stake and what you want people to do, then add the link. Share in groups and communities related to the topic, not only on your own profile. On the petition page, use the share buttons (Facebook, WhatsApp, X, email and more).
  4. Reach groups that already care. Local associations, parent groups, hobby clubs, neighborhood chats and topic-specific forums can bring relevant signatories quickly when the ask fits their concerns.
  5. Contact the media when you have momentum. Journalists usually need a clear story, a local angle and enough signatures to show that people care. A press release and a named contact help. How to get media coverage for your petition.
  6. Keep going. One share wave is rarely enough. Send updates, thank signatories, and ask again when something new happens (a deadline, a reply from the decision-maker, a local event).

Read the full guide: How to promote a petition

A petition grows when people who care about the topic actually see it. Signatures alone rarely change a decision. Promotion and follow-up do most of the work.

  1. Start with personal messages. Ask friends, family and colleagues one by one. Explain briefly why the petition matters to you, paste the petition link, and ask them to sign and share. A personal ask beats a public post almost every time.
  2. Ask your first signatories to share. Many people sign but do not share unless you ask. Give them a short ready-made message they can copy, and a concrete ask (for example: send it to three people).
  3. Use social media with context. Do not post only a bare link. Write two or three sentences about what is at stake and what you want people to do, then add the link. Share in groups and communities related to the topic, not only on your own profile. On the petition page, use the share buttons (Facebook, WhatsApp, X, email and more).
  4. Reach groups that already care. Local associations, parent groups, hobby clubs, neighborhood chats and topic-specific forums can bring relevant signatories quickly when the ask fits their concerns.
  5. Contact the media when you have momentum. Journalists usually need a clear story, a local angle and enough signatures to show that people care. A press release and a named contact help. How to get media coverage for your petition.
  6. Keep going. One share wave is rarely enough. Send updates, thank signatories, and ask again when something new happens (a deadline, a reply from the decision-maker, a local event).

Read the full guide: How to promote a petition

A petition grows when people who care about the topic actually see it. Signatures alone rarely change a decision. Promotion and follow-up do most of the work.

  1. Start with personal messages. Ask friends, family and colleagues one by one. Explain briefly why the petition matters to you, paste the petition link, and ask them to sign and share. A personal ask beats a public post almost every time.
  2. Ask your first signatories to share. Many people sign but do not share unless you ask. Give them a short ready-made message they can copy, and a concrete ask (for example: send it to three people).
  3. Use social media with context. Do not post only a bare link. Write two or three sentences about what is at stake and what you want people to do, then add the link. Share in groups and communities related to the topic, not only on your own profile. On the petition page, use the share buttons (Facebook, WhatsApp, X, email and more).
  4. Reach groups that already care. Local associations, parent groups, hobby clubs, neighborhood chats and topic-specific forums can bring relevant signatories quickly when the ask fits their concerns.
  5. Contact the media when you have momentum. Journalists usually need a clear story, a local angle and enough signatures to show that people care. A press release and a named contact help. How to get media coverage for your petition.
  6. Keep going. One share wave is rarely enough. Send updates, thank signatories, and ask again when something new happens (a deadline, a reply from the decision-maker, a local event).

Read the full guide: How to promote a petition

Yes. Visitors and signatories can normally buy extra visibility for any petition, which shows the petition to people viewing other petitions on our site. If you would rather not have this offered on your petition, you can turn it off on the edit page.

  1. Log in and open your petition's edit page.
  2. Find the question "May visitors buy extra visibility for this petition?" and choose "No".
  3. Save the petition.

After this, the offer is no longer shown to visitors or signatories. You can still buy extra visibility for your own petition, and any visibility already paid for keeps running. You can turn the option back on at any time.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Edit
  5. Make the changes.
  6. Click the button "Save Changes".

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Edit
  5. Click the link   Show settings
  6. Choose a field name
  7. Make the changes.
  8. Click the button "Save Changes".

You can fix typos and provide more information. If you think that at least one person would not sign the changed petition, that is a sure sign that the change is too big.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page you manage.
  3. Click the Manage petition link.
  4. Click the Print the signatures link.
  5. Choose your output format (HTML, CSV, Excel or PDF).
    HTML is recommended if you want to save the signatures using your browser’s Print to PDF feature. The PDF is a finished file that works well even for petitions with a very large number of signatures.
  6. Select the columns you want to include. You can change the order of the columns by dragging.
  7. Optional: Include the petition content
    To include the full petition content (text and images) above the signatures list:
    • Select HTML as the output format.
    • Click the option “Add the full petition content above the signatures list”.
    This option is available only for HTML output and is not included in CSV, Excel or PDF files.
  8. Accept data protection terms and generate or download the file.

Most common problem
You are logged in using the wrong email address. Make sure you are logged in with the same email address that was used to create the petition.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Print the signatures
  5. Choose your output format (HTML, CSV, Excel or PDF).
    CSV and Excel are best when you want to work with the signatures in a spreadsheet, and PDF is a finished document.
  6. If you choose the PDF or Excel format, you can also protect the file with a password.

Yes, the print page offers four formats: HTML, CSV, Excel (.xlsx) and PDF. The PDF is a finished file that works well even for petitions with a very large number of signatures. The Excel file opens directly in spreadsheet programs. Your column selections and the column order apply to every format.

When you choose the PDF or Excel format, an optional password field appears on the print page. If you enter a password, the file will be protected with strong encryption (AES-256) and the password will be asked for when the file is opened. The buttons next to the field suggest a strong password and copy it to the clipboard.

A password-protected file is a safe way to hand the signatures over, for example by email to the decision-makers. Deliver the password through a different channel than the file itself: if you send the file by email, give the password for example by phone or in a text message.

If you forget the password, the file cannot be opened by anyone, so store the password carefully.

At the top of the print page, click the link “Download the comments in PDF format”. The file lists only the signatories who wrote a comment, together with their name, place of residence and the date. The same optional password protection is available for this file.

A PDF page can only fit a limited number of columns in a readable size. Remove some columns, or choose the Excel, CSV or HTML format, which have no column limit.

No, we don't remove the signatures.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Remove
  5. Fill in the form.
  6. Submit the form.

  1. Log in
  2. Find the signature
  3. Click the link   Remove

  1. Log in
  2. Find the comment
  3. Click the link   Remove

Each signature gets a permanent number when it is added. If a signature is later removed, its number is not given to anyone else, so a gap is left in the list. This ensures that a signature's number always refers to the same person, even after removals.

Gaps do not affect the signature count shown on the petition, which always tells the real number of signatures. In the printable and downloadable signature list the signatures are numbered consecutively, so it has no gaps.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Edit
  5. Click the icon Upload
  6. Click the button "Choose file".

  • Log in
  • Go to the petition page
  • Click the link Manage petition
  • Click the link   Translate this petition into other languages
  • Choose a language
  • Write the translation.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Edit
  5. Click the link   Show settings
  6. Click Edit next to the web address of your petition
  7. Make the changes.
  8. Click the button "Save Changes".

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link   Edit
  5. Click the link   Show settings
  6. Choose the signature goal.
  7. Make the changes.
  8. Click the button "Save Changes".

We will redirect visitors from the old address to the new one.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link Publish an update

When you create a petition, you are asked to decide how you will use signatories’ personal data. If you chose the purpose ‘To keep the signatory up to date on the progress of the petition by sending emails’, then we have already requested consent from signatories for sending them emails about the progress of the petition. In this case, publishing an update will automatically send an email notification to all signatories who have given consent for this.

Is it possible to send emails to the signatories without consent?

It may still be possible to contact signatories based on your legitimate interest as the data controller. However, under GDPR you must first carry out a balancing test to ensure that your interest in contacting signatories does not override their rights and expectations.

Important data protection considerations

For GDPR reasons, we strongly recommend using a professional email system. Sending emails manually from a personal account is risky. If you forget to use the BCC field even once, all recipients could see each other’s email addresses. That would count as a data breach under GDPR, which could lead to complaints from signatories, an investigation by the data protection authority, possible fines, and loss of trust in your petition.

At the moment, we do not provide a feature to send emails to signatories without their consent.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link   Print the signatures

The author of a petition is always the data controller for the collected signatures. You cannot gather a list of people's opinions without being the controller.

Our platform supports GDPR compliance by letting you choose what data is collected, how long it is stored, and the specific purposes (each with its own explicit consent on the sign form). We auto-generate a privacy policy based on your choices, or you can link your own.

Most common reasons:
  • Sometimes the email providers think our mails are spam.
  • The signatory has mistyped the email address.
  • The mailbox of the signatory is full.
Tips
  • To ensure you receive our emails, please add [email protected] to your address book or safe senders list.
  • On the Unconfirmed signatures page you can resend confirmation emails and manually approve signatures.

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link End this petition

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link Continue collecting signatures

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link Embed

Facebook keeps the title and image it saw when the petition was first shared. After you change them, the message "Changes saved successfully" has a link that updates the Facebook preview. You can also do it yourself:

  1. Go to page: Sharing Debugger
  2. Log in with your Facebook account.
  3. Paste the address of your petition and click "Debug".
  4. Click "Scrape Again".

There is no deadline.

Legal background

When people sign a petition, we ask their permission for the petition author to hand over the information they provide to the decision-makers.

When is it legal to transfer the petition to another user?

  • There are no signatories yet.
  • All the signatories have given their permission.
  • The other person has been named as one of the authors on the petition page from the beginning.
  • The petition has been created on behalf of an organization and this person is an employee or a member of this organization. The name of the organization has been mentioned on the petition page from the beginning.

How do I transfer my petition to another user?

  1. Log in
  2. Go to the petition page
  3. Click the link Manage petition
  4. Click the link Grant rights to manage this petition

It is not possible.

It would require the signatories' permission, and we do not ask for it when they sign a petition.

We recommend closing one of the petitions and linking to the other petition, or handing over the signatures of both petitions to the decision-maker at the same time.

The address of a removed petition leads to a notice that the petition has been removed. Google removes the petition from its results when it visits the address again, usually within a few weeks.

To ask Google to update the result sooner, use Google's tool for outdated content: Remove outdated content from Google