Frequently asked questions

About Polaire

What is Polaire?

Polaire Sciences Inc. is a startup founded in 2025 in Montréal, Canada, to reopen the dialogue between public decision-makers and citizens. Born from research at Mila, the Quebec artificial intelligence (AI) institute where it is incubated, Polaire builds a platform that uses AI to collect and synthesize thousands of citizen comments efficiently, in real time. By putting its technology at the service of society, municipalities and public decision-makers alike, it proposes a new way of living together.

Signing in to Polaire

Why do you ask for my phone number or email?

We ask for one identifier (a phone number or an email address) to link it to the comments you post. That lets us count all of your comments, whatever their number, exactly once: the platform is built on the rule one citizen = one voice. This limits the risk of a flood of messages skewing the final synthesis.

If you ticked one of the two notification boxes, to receive the consultation’s results or to hear about another consultation that concerns you, Polaire will contact you at the phone number or email address you provided. You can withdraw that choice at any time from your account preferences.

Your number and/or your email address, like all of your personal data, will never be sold to third parties.

Why do you ask for my year of birth, postal code and gender?

We ask for demographic indicators (year of birth, postal code, gender) to improve our data analysis. Some opinions hold for one group of people and less so for others: these indicators let us see how opinion is distributed across geographies and segments of the population. Your year of birth, gender and postal code are never sent as-is to our artificial-intelligence systems.

Your year of birth also checks the minimum age: you must be 14 or older to respond to a consultation online. Answers from under-18s count in the results, but not in the report’s age and gender statistics.

Are my comments confidential?

Yes. Your comments are linked to your Polaire account: that is what enforces the rule one citizen = one voice and lets us withdraw a comment at your request. We never disclose your email address or phone number. The organization running the consultation receives your comments together with your demographic indicators (postal code, year of birth, gender), without your name or contact details. In a published report, only excerpts approved by moderation can appear, with no name or contact details.

Commenting on Polaire

How do I leave a comment?

You can leave a comment by voice, by clicking the small microphone in the comment box, or by writing directly in that box. Write or speak naturally, in your own words, as you would to a friend.

Can I express myself in the language of my choice?

Our platform works in French and English. A consultation can also accept other languages if the organization running it wishes: the participation interface is then offered in those languages, and your answers are machine-translated for analysis. We are working to extend that list.

Do you make changes to comments?

We make no changes to the vast majority of comments. That said, if our software detects that your comment contains personal information (your neighbour’s name, someone’s address or phone number), it is flagged to a Polaire moderator. An AI model then proposes the passages to replace with markers such as “[name removed]”; the moderator reviews, adjusts if needed and confirms the change. Nothing is redacted automatically, and redaction is limited to personal information, to protect your privacy and that of other citizens.

Do you filter comments?

Yes. Our software flags hateful, threatening or unwanted (spam) comments. Our definition of a hateful comment follows the United Nations’, which describes it as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.” Harsh criticism of an administration, a party or a decision is not filtered: only remarks targeting a person or a group for who they are. A flagged comment is reviewed by a Polaire moderator, who decides to approve or delete it. The purpose of this filter is to keep the space healthy for every citizen and every public decision-maker.

Your data

How will you process the comments?

Once submitted, comments are analyzed by our system. That system rests on two building blocks: an openly available large language model, selected in particular for the quality of its translations, and an algorithmic layer.

The large language model first translates the comment if needed, and transcribes it if it was shared orally. It then analyzes the comment’s content: the topic, the level of government the message addresses, the tone.

The algorithmic layer is there to ensure transparency and fairness between all comments. It makes it possible to trace the path from incoming comments to the synthesis (transparency) and to give each citizen’s comments the same weight, following the rule one citizen = one voice. This avoids biases that could give more weight to comments written in a certain language, showing a certain expertise, or written by a certain group of citizens.

Finally, we add a filter that removes violent or unconstructive messages, to preserve the space for democratic expression.

Can I withdraw my comment?

Yes. You keep control over all of your comments. Comments left outside a consultation can be deleted from our platform directly from your account. Comments left as part of a consultation can be deleted by contacting privacy@polaire.quebec.

Who owns the data, and what will you do with it?

Whatever the form your comment takes, you keep control over it.

If you share your comment as part of a consultation, the organization running the consultation (city, riding office, non-profit organization) is responsible for the information collected, under Law 25. Polaire may use that data, in de-identified form, to improve its platform, where the organization permits it.

If you share your comment freely, either at the end of a consultation or directly on the platform, Polaire is responsible for the information collected, under Law 25, and may use it, in de-identified form, to improve its platform.

These responsibilities apply to written and voice messages alike. Note that all voice messages are automatically deleted after 90 days, the time we need to run quality checks. Their transcription is kept, however.

Does the data leave Canada?

Your data is stored in Canada, with OVHcloud in Beauharnois (Quebec), and transcription and machine translation are performed in Montréal. Part of the artificial-intelligence analysis is, however, carried out in France by OVHcloud, on the text of your comments, without your contact details. Our privacy policy details these transfers.

I have questions or suggestions for improvement, who can I contact?

We welcome all of your feedback at contact@polaire.quebec. For any request about your personal information (access, correction, withdrawal), write to privacy@polaire.quebec.