Petition · Cabinet Office
Ban fear and psychological tactics in Government advice and messaging
Closed
260 signatures
What the petition asks
Make it illegal for all government bodies and representatives to use fear, coercion, or covert psychological tactics like nudging, emotional priming, or perception manipulation in any public advice or communication.
We believe there are unethical practices which must be exposed, condemned, banned, and never repeated.
Government-commissioned documents like Mindspace reveal how fear, emotional priming, and perception manipulation can be used to steer public behaviour. These tactics can undermine informed choice, public trust, and democratic freedoms. The public must be protected from such unethical manipulation. These coercive psychological practices must be banned by law in all government advice and communications to safeguard individual autonomy, transparency, democratic accountability, and the right to decide with freedom.
Government-commissioned documents like Mindspace reveal how fear, emotional priming, and perception manipulation can be used to steer public behaviour. These tactics can undermine informed choice, public trust, and democratic freedoms. The public must be protected from such unethical manipulation. These coercive psychological practices must be banned by law in all government advice and communications to safeguard individual autonomy, transparency, democratic accountability, and the right to decide with freedom.
Timeline
| 23 Dec 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 23 Jun 2026 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
260
Status
Closed
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
23 Dec 2025
Closed
23 Jun 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 6 Aug 2026.