In Massachusetts, exposing animal abuse can make you a criminal.

Under the state’s anti-wiretapping law, secretly recording conversations is illegal even when those recordings reveal serious crimes, including extreme cruelty to animals. As a result, abusers are shielded, whistleblowers are silenced, and suffering continues out of public view. A law meant to protect privacy is instead being used to protect cruelty.

This is not a hypothetical problem. Undercover investigations have been one of the most effective tools for uncovering animal abuse in farms, laboratories, breeding facilities, and training operations. These investigations have led to arrests, criminal convictions, facility closures, and major reforms. None of that accountability would have been possible without recorded evidence.

Yet in Massachusetts, the very act of documenting abuse can expose investigators, employees, or advocates to criminal charges. That creates a dangerous imbalance. Those who harm animals benefit from secrecy, while those trying to expose wrongdoing face legal risk. Laws should protect the vulnerable, not those who exploit them.

This petition is not calling for the elimination of privacy protections. It is calling for common-sense reform. Massachusetts can and should amend its anti-wiretapping statute so it cannot be used to shield illegal acts or punish people who document abuse in good faith. Other states with strict consent laws have recognized this need and carved out exceptions to protect whistleblowers. Massachusetts should do the same.

The public has a right to know how animals are treated in industries that profit from secrecy and operate largely out of sight. Transparency protects not only animals, but also consumers, workers, and public trust. When abuse is hidden, it continues. When it is exposed, accountability begins.

We are calling on the Massachusetts Legislature and the Governor to amend the state’s anti-wiretapping law to ensure it cannot be used as a shield for animal abuse. Documenting cruelty should never be a crime. Exposing harm should be protected, not punished.

Massachusetts prides itself on justice, compassion, and leadership. Allowing a secrecy law to protect animal abusers undermines those values. It is time to fix a law that is being used against the wrong people.

Sign this petition to demand transparency, accountability, and legal protections for those who expose animal cruelty.