Tighten Security of Government Petitions To Prevent Use of False Identities

Government petitions are influential, but only require a name, postcode and email address. It is proven that a false name and any genuine, but randomly selected postcode will suffice. For instance Basil Brush & SW1A 1AA was accepted. This vulnerability is not in the public interest.

We already monitor petitions to check for fraudulent activity. We use a number of techniques, automated and manual, to identify and block signatures from bots, disposable email addresses or other sources that show signs of fraudulent activity. We also monitor signing patterns. For security reasons, we don’t tell people when their fraudulent activity has been unsuccessful.

We don’t comment in detail about the security measures, but all petitions are subject to checks as part of due diligence and any concerns investigated. We're therefore not sure exactly what further action you'd like to see.