How Online Petitions Combat Corruption Abroad

When news broke that Spain's former Popular Party (Partido Popular) treasurer had embezzled millions of Euros to pay high-profile party members, including the current prime minister, Pablo Gallego García went online and started a Change.org petition

That petition, "One Million for the Resignation of the Leadership of the Partido Popular" (Un Millón de Firmas Por La Dimisión de la Cúpula del PP), received its desired 1 million signatures within a week of launching on Jan. 31.

Although it's the largest international petition on Change.org to date, Gallego García's campaign is one of many anti-government corruption petitions started outside the United States. According to Change.org, 44% of international petitions among the 100 largest petitions on the site target government corruption. In stark contrast, none of the petitions among the 100 largest campaigns that originated in the U.S. focus on corruption