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Contestability checklist

A printable checklist and explainer set for verifying real contestability and enforceable recourse.

Contestability

A quick check for real recourse

Use this checklist to confirm decisions can be contested with clocks, accountable authority, and reversal paths. Aligns with the contestability glossary definition and the Contestability Guarantee.

Read STD-02

Can I contest this?

Contestability checklist

Print and use this as a quick pass/fail screen before shipping or auditing a decision flow.

Can I contest this?

  • Do I receive a specific decision object with reasons, timestamps, and scope?
  • Is there a named, accountable authority who can change or reverse the decision?
  • Is the review clock explicit, with a deadline that forces a response?
  • Can I trigger an appeal without permission gates or hidden prerequisites?
  • Is there a clear reversal or remedy path once the decision is contested?
  • Can I see evidence that appeals can succeed (not just be processed)?

Built from the contestability definition in the glossary and the Contestability Guarantee standard. Glossary term · STD-02

Contestability checklist

  • Do I receive a specific decision object with reasons, timestamps, and scope?
  • Is there a named, accountable authority who can change or reverse the decision?
  • Is the review clock explicit, with a deadline that forces a response?
  • Can I trigger an appeal without permission gates or hidden prerequisites?
  • Is there a clear reversal or remedy path once the decision is contested?
  • Can I see evidence that appeals can succeed (not just be processed)?

Built from the contestability definition in the glossary and the Contestability Guarantee standard. Glossary term · STD-02

Explainers

Three clarifiers to share with teams

Each section expands on the checklist so teams know what to fix, not just what to flag.

What contestability actually means

Contestability is the system property that turns “that’s wrong” into a contestable object: a decision with reasons, a clock, an accountable authority, and a pathway to reversal.

If people cannot force a decision into that state, contestability doesn’t exist, even if a form or hotline is present.

See the glossary entry for the full definition and adjacent terms.

Read the glossary definition

Why “contact support” is not due process

“Contact support” is a queue, not a contestable object. Without a receipt, a clock, and a named authority, it is only a request for help.

Due process requires a bounded timeline, enforceable escalation, and a binding decision path. Otherwise, requests linger and never convert into reversals.

Review STD-02 contestability obligations

What makes an appeal real vs performative

The Contestability Guarantee means people can challenge, change, or overturn decisions — and win. It requires wide permission surfaces, high appeal passage rates, and transparent design authority.

A real appeal shows its success rate, names who can reverse outcomes, and exposes where evidence is evaluated. Performative appeals hide authority, suppress win rates, or end in untraceable queues.

See the standard for enforceable recourse

See also: Standards · Mechanisms