<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
is	O
a	O
U.S.-based	O
nonprofit	O
organization	O
launched	O
in	O
January	O
2007	O
that	O
promotes	O
global	O
activism	O
on	O
issues	O
such	O
as	O
climate	O
change	O
,	O
human	O
rights	O
,	O
animal	O
rights	O
,	O
corruption	O
,	O
poverty	O
,	O
and	O
conflict	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
The	O
Guardian	O
referred	O
to	O
Avaaz	B-Application
as	O
"	O
the	O
globe	O
's	O
largest	O
and	O
most	O
powerful	O
online	O
activist	O
network	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz.org	B-Application
was	O
co-founded	O
by	O
Res	O
Publica	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
community	O
of	O
public	O
sector	O
professionals	O
dedicated	O
to	O
promoting	O
good	O
governance	O
,	O
civic	O
virtue	O
and	O
deliberative	O
democracy	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
MoveOn.org,	O
an	O
American	O
non-profit	O
progressive	O
public	O
policy	O
advocacy	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
's	O
individual	O
co-founders	O
include	O
Ricken	O
Patel	O
,	O
Tom	O
Pravda	O
,	O
former	O
Virginia	O
congressman	O
Tom	O
Perriello	O
,	O
MoveOn	O
Executive	O
Director	O
Eli	O
Pariser	O
,	O
Australian	O
entrepreneur	O
David	O
Madden	O
,	O
Jeremy	O
Heimans	O
(	O
co-founders	O
of	O
Purpose.com	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Andrea	O
Woodhouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
's	O
founding	O
President	O
and	O
former	O
CEO	O
is	O
the	O
Canadian-British	O
Ricken	O
Patel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Since	O
2009	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
has	O
not	O
taken	O
donations	O
from	O
foundations	O
or	O
corporations	O
,	O
nor	O
has	O
it	O
accepted	O
payments	O
of	O
more	O
than	O
$	O
5,000	O
( £	O
3,100	O
)	O
"	O
,	O
The	O
Guardian	O
reported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
2009	O
,	O
various	O
foundations	O
had	O
funded	O
Avaaz	B-Application
's	O
staff	O
and	O
start-up	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
global	O
campaigns	O
are	O
managed	O
by	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
campaigners	O
working	O
from	O
over	O
30	O
countries	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
India	O
,	O
Lebanon	O
and	O
Brazil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
Avaaz	B-Application
also	O
uses	O
advertisements	O
and	O
commissions	O
legal	O
advice	O
to	O
clarify	O
how	O
best	O
to	O
take	O
a	O
campaign	O
forward	O
,	O
and	O
stages	O
"	O
sit-ins	O
,	O
rallies	O
,	O
phone-ins	O
and	O
media	O
friendly	O
stunts	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
a	O
suggestion	O
has	O
been	O
taken	O
up	O
as	O
having	O
potential	O
,	O
tester	O
emails	O
are	O
polled	O
to	O
10,000	O
Avaaz	B-Application
members	O
;	O
if	O
the	O
emails	O
receive	O
a	O
sufficient	O
response	O
,	O
the	O
campaign	O
is	O
opened	O
up	O
to	O
all	O
Avaaz	B-Application
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
The	O
Economist	O
suggested	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
way	O
Avaaz	B-Application
bunches	O
unlikely	O
causes	O
together	O
may	O
be	O
an	O
asset	O
in	O
a	O
world	O
where	O
campaigns	O
,	O
like	O
race	O
and	O
class	O
,	O
can	O
still	O
segregate	O
people	O
,	O
not	O
reconcile	O
them	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
claims	O
to	O
unite	O
practical	O
idealists	O
from	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
practice	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
often	O
supports	O
causes	O
considered	O
progressive	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
calling	O
for	O
global	O
action	O
on	O
climate	O
change	O
,	O
challenging	O
Monsanto	O
,	O
and	O
building	O
greater	O
global	O
support	O
for	O
refugees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
2009	O
Iranian	O
presidential	O
election	O
protests	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
set	O
up	O
Internet	B-Application
proxy	I-Application
servers	O
to	O
allow	O
protesters	O
to	O
upload	O
videos	O
onto	O
public	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
supported	O
the	O
establishment	O
of	O
a	O
no-fly	O
zone	O
over	O
Libya	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
military	O
intervention	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
supported	O
the	O
civil	O
uprising	O
preceding	O
the	O
Syrian	O
Civil	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
coordinated	O
the	O
evacuation	O
of	O
wounded	O
British	O
photographer	O
Paul	O
Conroy	O
from	O
Homs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
senior	O
members	O
of	O
other	O
non-governmental	O
organizations	O
working	O
in	O
the	O
Middle	O
East	O
have	O
criticized	O
Avaaz	B-Application
for	O
taking	O
sides	O
in	O
a	O
civil	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
continues	O
campaigning	O
for	O
no-fly	O
zones	O
over	O
Syria	O
in	O
general	O
and	O
specifically	O
Aleppo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Avaaz	B-Application
team	O
responded	O
to	O
this	O
criticism	O
by	O
issuing	O
two	O
statements	O
defending	O
their	O
decision	O
to	O
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2016	O
United	O
States	O
presidential	O
election	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
campaigned	O
against	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
with	O
the	O
slogan	O
"	O
Defeat	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
produced	O
a	O
software	O
tool	O
to	O
simplify	O
overseas	O
voter	O
registration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
opposed	O
21st	O
Century	O
Fox	O
's	O
bid	O
to	O
take	O
over	O
the	O
pan-European	O
broadcasting	O
company	O
Sky	O
plc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
campaign	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
brought	O
Wendy	O
Walsh	O
,	O
a	O
woman	O
who	O
alleges	O
she	O
was	O
sexually	O
harassed	O
at	O
Fox	O
News	O
,	O
to	O
London	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
to	O
testify	O
to	O
British	O
media	O
regulator	O
Ofcom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
took	O
legal	O
action	O
in	O
the	O
British	O
High	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
,	O
by	O
seeking	O
a	O
judicial	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
regulator	O
Ofcom	O
's	O
decision	O
not	O
to	O
recommend	O
rejection	O
of	O
the	O
takeover	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bloomberg	O
described	O
Avaaz	B-Application
as	O
"	O
the	O
fly	O
in	O
the	O
ointment	O
of	O
Murdoch	O
's	O
Sky	O
bid	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Mr	O
Murdoch	O
withdrew	O
his	O
Sky	O
bid	O
,	O
Ian	O
Burrell	O
commented	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
represents	O
a	O
victory	O
for	O
the	O
civic	O
activist	O
group	O
Avaaz	B-Application
,	O
which	O
has	O
relentlessly	O
campaigned	O
against	O
a	O
takeover	O
which	O
seemed	O
inevitable	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Monsanto	O
requested	O
Avaaz	B-Application
hand	O
over	O
all	O
documents	O
the	O
organization	O
held	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
glyphosate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Avaaz	B-Application
argued	O
that	O
a	O
successful	O
subpoena	O
would	O
result	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
chilling	O
effect	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
group	O
's	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
5	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
a	O
New	O
York	O
judge	O
sided	O
with	O
Avaaz	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
question	O
whether	O
Avaaz	B-Application
's	O
focus	O
on	O
online	O
petitions	O
and	O
email	O
campaigns	O
may	O
encourage	O
laziness	O
,	O
transforming	O
potential	O
activism	O
into	O
clicktivism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
Avaaz	B-Application
raised	O
money	O
for	O
the	O
evacuation	O
of	O
Paul	O
Conroy	O
from	O
Syria	O
,	O
a	O
mission	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
deaths	O
of	O
13	O
activists	O
in	O
Syria	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
New	O
Republic	O
article	O
accused	O
Avaaz	B-Application
of	O
making	O
false	O
claims	O
about	O
their	O
own	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
evacuation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jillian	O
York	O
has	O
accused	O
Avaaz	B-Application
of	O
arrogance	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
transparency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Defensor	O
Da	O
Natureza	O
blog	O
has	O
accused	O
Avaaz	B-Application
of	O
taking	O
credit	O
for	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Ficha	O
Limpa	O
anti-corruption	O
bill	O
in	O
Brazil	O
,	O
which	O
Luis	O
Nassif	O
reposted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Canadian	O
conservative	O
minister	O
John	O
Baird	O
labeled	O
Avaaz	B-Application
a	O
"	O
shadowy	O
foreign	O
organization	O
"	O
tied	O
to	O
billionaire	O
George	O
Soros	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
Canadian	O
,	O
conservative	O
media	O
personality	O
Ezra	O
Levant	O
,	O
tried	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
link	O
between	O
Soros	O
and	O
Avaaz.org	B-Application
as	O
an	O
indirect	O
supporter	O
through	O
MoveOn	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
article	O
was	O
later	O
retracted	O
as	O
baseless	O
and	O
an	O
apology	O
was	O
offered	O
to	O
Soros	O
.	O
</s>
