Our Goal

Improve the world’s ability to coordinate on humanity-scale challenges by creating widespread common knowledge of shared beliefs, values, and opportunities to do good.

FAQ

• Q: Why did you build this site? How does it work?

  A: We believe that on issues of global significance, policy should be shaped by the collective opinion of as many people as possible – and we believe a powerful tool for this kind of coordination is the open letter. But the more people who sign an open letter, the more opportunities there are for bad actors to create fake accounts, troll other users, and undermine the legitimacy of the letter.

  To solve this problem, OpenLetter.net asks people like you – users who sign our letters – to help evaluate other signers using our crowd verification flow. This allows verification efforts to scale with the number of signers, so that as a community we can demonstrate that our voices are real.

• Q: How do you decide what signatures show up at the top of the list?

  A: Our signature rankings reflect the collective opinion of signers who evaluate other signers. Signatures that are rated as highly notable tend to rise to the top of the list, where they can have the most visibility and have the most effect on the impact of the open letter.

• Q: How do you figure out which signatures are real and which ones are fake?

  A: We rely on signers to evaluate each other based on the information they provide at signup, accounts they link, and other details. We also filter out fake and inappropriate signatures using a set of automated heuristics.

• Q: What’s the technical basis for turning user evaluations into rankings?

  A: For ranking by notability, we use an algorithm based on Pairwise Ranking Aggregation in a Crowdsourced Setting (Chen et al. 2013).

  For filtering signatures for authenticity, we use an algorithm based on Finding the bias and prestige of nodes in networks based on trust scores (Mishra et al. 2011).

• Q: Can I create a petition?

  A: We’re focusing our efforts on one letter at a time to make sure they can all have the greatest positive impact. If you have suggestions for an open letter related to critical issues requiring global coordination, you can reach out to us at partnerships@openletter.net.

• Q: How do you use my data?

  A: All the data we collect is used for ensuring that signatures are legitimate and helping the letters we host have as much impact as possible. The data you provide when you sign is used to display signers on a letter’s public list and to allow other signers to review and verify your information. We will never sell your data or make your email address public.

  For details on our data practices, see our Privacy Policy.

• Q: Why should I connect my social media accounts?

  A: Connecting a social media account helps to show that you’re a real person. We’ll never post to any of your accounts.

• Q: What if I want to edit my profile information, or delete my signature?

  A: If you need to make any changes to your signature, disconnect a social account, or delete your account, contact us directly at privacy@openletter.net.

• Q: What’s your business model? How does this site make money?

  A: This platform is built and maintained by Survival and Flourishing .Com, which is a Public Benefit Corporation engaged in philanthropy to support companies, organizations, and projects with positive externalities for the survival and flourishing of humanity and other sentient beings. We are funded by Jaan Tallinn, who shares our goal of fostering coordinated action on issues of global importance.

• Q: Your mission sounds amazing! How can I help?

  A: Wow, thank you! Signing letters you believe in, sharing and encouraging others to sign, and helping verify other signers is already a great help… but if you want to do even more, drop us a line at contact@openletter.net.