19 Kids and Counting: Duggar Petition Site a Scam To Collect Email Addresses?

When the Duggar’s show 19 Kids and Counting was finally officially cancelled by TLC, fans of the show were livid. They took to comment sections of blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages by ...
19 Kids and Counting: Duggar Petition Site a Scam To Collect Email Addresses?
Written by Mike Tuttle

When the Duggar’s show 19 Kids and Counting was finally officially cancelled by TLC, fans of the show were livid. They took to comment sections of blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages by the score to vent their displeasure that their favorite show had fallen victim to its bad press.

Now comes the news that there is a petition out there that fans can sign in an effort to bring the show back. The petition that is getting so much press is found at SupportTheDuggars.com.

The text of the petition reads as follows:

While the Duggar family may not be perfect and they’ve had difficulties like so many other families, their show WAS one of the few clean, family-friendly shows on TV. Sadly, there isn’t much a family can watch together any longer. The airwaves are full of terrible, trashy television! It isn’t right that the Duggars must be forced off the air while the filthy shows remain!

We want our voices to be heard! We all know the power of standing together—just ask A&E what happened when they cancelled Duck Dynasty!

It seems that every day in America our values and way of life are disappearing. We must all stand together.

Please complete the petition form below to tell the Duggar Family we support them and to tell TLC that we want the Duggars back on the air!

There is then a simple form where fans can enter their name, state, and email address.

Just a side note: Duck Dynasty was never canceled. Phil Robertson was suspended from the show, but it was never termed as permanent, and he was brought back.

But there is a bigger concern with this site.

Why wasn’t this petition hosted somewhere like change.org, where many such petitions are started and seen? In fact, a petition hosted there got almost 200,000 supporters asking for 19 Kids and Counting to be canceled. Others there, asking for the show to be brought back, have 500+ supporters.

The site, though, is hosted at Godaddy and registered through a service called Domains by Proxy, which many use to keep their ownership of a site anonymous. Nothing shocking there.

But a look at the “fine print” terms you have to agree to in order to submit your name as wanting the Duggars back on TV.

I knowingly and voluntarily add my name and other personal information to this petition. I understand that, by doing so, I am indicating my support for both 19 Kids and Counting and the Duggar family. I am over 18 years old and agree that any personal information collected through this site, including, without limitation, my name, geographic location, email and/or support for 19 Kids and Counting and/or the Duggar family, may be shared with TLC and/or other third parties for any purpose; and that such parties may use such information in any manner, including, without limitation, to communicate with me.

By signing the petition, you give permission for the anonymous owner of this site, which was wholly unnecessary in the first place, to collect your information and sell it to anyone they wish.

If this was a legitimate effort to get the 19 Kids and Counting show back on television, why would that be a requirement? Does the wording of these terms sound like a simple fan wanting their show back on?

Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

Subscribe
Advertise with Us

Ready to get started?

Get our media kit