Privacy and Trust in Socio-technical Systems of Accountability

Systems of accountability involve the idea that individual actors (citizens, friends, elected officials, government bureaucrats, professionals) or institutions (government agencies, corporations, civil institutions) are expected to operate in specific ways, that is, they are expected to adhere to certain norms. Government officials and institutions are expected to function in the public interest; corporations are expected to abide by the law; citizens are expected to act responsibly in ways that do not threaten others or society at large; friends are expected to support friends and be honest to one another. They are accountable in relation to these norms; they are in effect trusted to behave in certain ways. Often we establish systems of accountability to ensure that this is the case.