The Daily UbuntuThread 02 · Technology and Dehumanization · September 25, 2026
The right to talk to a human
In Quebec, Law 25 requires businesses to say when a machine alone has made a decision, and to let the person explain themselves to someone.
1 · The scene
On the 67 bus, Mamadou reads on his phone: "Your credit application has been declined." No name, no reason, just a "Close" button.
That evening, his neighbour reminds him that in Quebec, you can ask why. He writes in. A few days later, an adviser calls him: his address had been entered incorrectly in the file. A typo, not a verdict on him.
Original vignette
2 · The documented case
Section 12.1 of Law 25
In 2021, Quebec adopted Law 25, which modernizes its rules on personal information, coming into force in stages until 2024. Among its new features, one section added to the law governing the private sector directly affects our digital lives: section 12.1.
It provides that a business that makes a decision based exclusively on automated processing of personal information must inform the person, no later than when it tells them of the decision. On request, it must also specify the information used, the reasons and the main factors that led to the decision, and remind them of the right to have that information corrected. Above all, the person must be able to present their point of view to a member of staff who is in a position to review the decision.
The law also requires people to be told before a technology is used that allows them to be identified, located or profiled, and these functions must not be activated by default. The Commission d'accès à l'information oversees compliance with these rules, and administrative penalties can reach $10 million or 2% of worldwide turnover.
Incorrect data or a hidden bias can weigh more heavily on some people than on others. Being able to ask a human being "why?" puts a relationship back where there was only a calculation.
3 · The voice
“The person concerned must be given the opportunity to submit observations”
4 · The question
The last time an app told you no, would you have known whom to ask why, and who around you would need to know?
Sources
- LégisQuébec, Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR, c. P-39.1), section 12.1 (French version). www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca
- Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec, main changes introduced by Law 25 (in French). www.cai.gouv.qc.ca
Every figure on this page links to a verifiable public source.
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