Accountability in ordinary action

This chapter explores the notion of accountability in ordinary action and how it applies to our understanding of privacy. It reflects findings from a range of ethnographic studies in the home that highlight that privacy is a matter of accountability management. This is organised through common-sense methods that exploit physical resources alongside digital methods of cohort management to control the disclosure of information. The studies also highlight how and why privacy breaches occur and that digital innovation poses particular threats to privacy by rendering ordinarily invisible activities visible and open to account. This development undermines members' competence, autonomy and trust in the digital world.