I have been a proud member of the Wrongfully Convicted Advocacy group, which currently boasts over 15,000 members dedicated to seeking justice for those who have been unjustly sentenced. One day, I signed a petition on Change.org, feeling hopeful about lending my voice to a cause I truly believed in. Little did I know, this simple act was just the beginning of a frustrating experience.

After signing, I encountered relentless prompts to make donations and was even sent notifications urging me to share various other petitions. Despite my intention to support just this one cause, it seemed Change.org had other plans for my engagement. Attempting to share the original petition to my TikTok account was met with a message stating that it had already been shared by someone else—undermining my efforts to spread awareness about an issue close to my heart.

This experience felt like a bait and switch. It is troubling to think that Change.org prioritizes volume over individual choice, pushing users to engage in multiple petitions when their intention was to focus on just one. This approach can discourage many from participating. Honest advocacy should not come with strings attached for those who wish to champion specific causes.

We must ask Change.org to respect the autonomy of its users, allowing them to select and support petitions without intrusive pushes for donations or additional sharing strategies that do not align with their initial intentions.

By doing so, Change.org can uphold the integrity of both the platform and the various causes represented by its users, ensuring that passionate advocates like myself can contribute to meaningful change without facing undue pressure.

Join me in urging Change.org to revise its engagement tactics. Respect user choice and foster a more authentic advocacy environment. Please sign this petition to demand a fairer use of your platform! Thank you for supporting this crucial change.