Privacy Policy
Effective date: [INSERT DATE] · Last reviewed: [INSERT DATE]
This is a working draft, not a finished legal document. It reflects the data-handling commitments described in the PetitionWatch architectural scope, written in plain language as a starting point.
Every bracketed placeholder must be filled in, and the whole document must be reviewed by qualified counsel before launch — particularly the sections on signature data, retention periods, and the legal basis for processing. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and by which features are actually live at launch. Delete this banner once counsel has signed off.
PetitionWatch.org ("PetitionWatch", "we", "us") operates a civic participation platform for petitions, public-policy discussion, community storytelling, election information and advocacy coordination. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what control you have over it.
We built this platform around data minimization. We collect only what is needed to authenticate you, keep petition signatures verifiable, deliver communications you asked for, and provide services you requested. We do not build political profiles of individuals.
1. Who we are
The data controller is [INSERT LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [INSERT ENTITY TYPE], registered at [INSERT REGISTERED ADDRESS].
For any question about this policy or about your personal information, contact inquiry@petitionwatch.org.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Information you give us directly
| What | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name and email address | Account registration, petition signature, contact form | Identify your account, verify a signature, respond to your message |
| Mobile number | Only if you choose SMS verification or SMS updates | Send a one-time verification code; send updates you opted into |
| Organization name and role | Organization registration or verification | Verify an organization and attribute its campaigns |
| Postal address or district | Only where a petition's target jurisdiction requires it | Confirm a signature belongs to the relevant jurisdiction |
| Content you submit | Petitions, stories, comments, photos, documents | Publish what you asked us to publish and moderate it |
| Message content | Contact form submissions | Answer your enquiry |
2.2 Information collected automatically
- IP address, browser type and device information, for security, abuse prevention and rate limiting.
- Pages visited and actions taken, in aggregate, to understand how the platform is used.
- Timestamps and authentication method attached to signature records, for petition integrity.
2.3 What we deliberately do not collect
We do not collect, infer, purchase or store: your political party affiliation, your voting history, your inferred political beliefs, or any profile built from protected or sensitive characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, health, sexual orientation or immigration status.
Signing a petition is a public act of speech on a specific issue. We do not treat it as a data point for political targeting, and we do not sell or license it to anyone who would.
3. How we use your information
- To operate the platform: create your account, publish your content, record and verify signatures.
- To communicate: send verification codes, campaign updates you subscribed to, and replies to your enquiries.
- To keep petitions honest: detect duplicate or fraudulent signatures, apply rate limits, and maintain an audit trail.
- To moderate: review reported content and enforce our Terms of Use.
- To improve: analyse aggregated, non-identifying usage patterns.
- To meet legal obligations: respond to lawful requests and keep records we are required to keep.
We do not use your personal information to target you with political persuasion, and we do not permit organizations using the platform to do so through us.
4. Petition signatures are public — read this carefully
When you sign a petition, the information displayed publicly is [SPECIFY EXACTLY: e.g. your first name, last initial, and the city or district you selected]. Your email address and phone number are never displayed publicly.
A petition is a document delivered to a decision-maker. Depending on the petition and the jurisdiction, the campaign organizer may receive [SPECIFY WHAT ORGANIZERS RECEIVE]. This is disclosed on each petition page before you sign.
Signatures cannot always be withdrawn after a petition has been formally delivered. Where withdrawal is possible, the process is described in section 8.
5. Legal basis for processing
Where the GDPR, UK GDPR or a comparable framework applies, we rely on:
- Consent — for marketing communications, optional SMS, and the publication of content you choose to submit.
- Contract — to provide the account and services you signed up for.
- Legitimate interests — for security, fraud prevention, abuse controls and aggregate analytics, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation — where retention or disclosure is required by law.
[COUNSEL: confirm which frameworks apply given where the entity is established and where users are located.]
6. Sharing your information
We do not sell personal information. We share it only in these situations:
- Service providers who process data on our instructions — email delivery, SMS delivery, hosting, payment processing, anti-abuse services. Each is bound by contract to protect it. [LIST NAMED PROCESSORS]
- Campaign organizers, limited to what is disclosed on the petition page before you sign.
- Recipients of a delivered petition, being the public official or body the petition addresses.
- Legal compulsion — where required by valid legal process. We will notify you where we are permitted to.
- Business transfer — if the platform is acquired, subject to this policy continuing to apply. [COUNSEL TO CONFIRM WORDING]
Payment data: card details are handled entirely by a PCI-compliant payment provider. PetitionWatch never stores raw card numbers.
7. How long we keep it
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account information | While your account is active, then [INSERT PERIOD] after closure |
| Signature records | [INSERT PERIOD] — signatures must remain verifiable for the life of a campaign and any subsequent challenge |
| Published content | Until you delete it or we remove it under the Terms of Use |
| Contact form messages | [INSERT PERIOD, e.g. 24 months] |
| Security and audit logs | [INSERT PERIOD] — audit logs are immutable by design |
| Transaction records | As required by tax and accounting law in [JURISDICTION] |
8. Your rights and choices
Subject to the law that applies to you, you can:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct anything inaccurate.
- Delete your account and personal information, subject to the signature-integrity and legal-retention limits in section 7.
- Export your data in a portable format.
- Object to or restrict certain processing.
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out.
- Unsubscribe from any email using the link in its footer, or stop SMS by replying STOP.
To exercise any of these, email inquiry@petitionwatch.org. We respond within [INSERT PERIOD, e.g. 30 days]. We may need to verify your identity first.
If you believe we have mishandled your information you may complain to your local data protection authority.
9. Security
We protect personal information with encryption in transit and at rest, least-privilege role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication for administrators, immutable audit logging, rate limiting, a web application firewall, regular backups, and a documented incident-response procedure.
No system is perfectly secure. To report a vulnerability, see our security contact.
10. Cookies
[COMPLETE THIS SECTION ONCE THE COOKIE SET IS FINAL.] Describe each cookie or similar technology, its purpose, its lifetime, and whether it is strictly necessary. If any non-essential cookies or analytics are used, a consent mechanism is required in most jurisdictions.
The current public landing page sets no cookies and runs no analytics.
11. Children
The platform is not directed to children under [INSERT AGE] and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
12. International transfers
[COMPLETE IF DATA LEAVES ITS ORIGIN JURISDICTION. Name the transfer mechanism — standard contractual clauses, adequacy decision, or equivalent.]
13. Changes to this policy
We will post any change on this page and update the effective date above. For material changes we will give notice by email or a prominent notice on the site before the change takes effect.
Questions about this policy or your data?
Email inquiry@petitionwatch.org
Postal: [INSERT POSTAL ADDRESS]