Glossary entry

Explainability for accountability

Definition

Explanations a person can act on, not decorative ones. They identify the decision owner, the data or policy basis, and how the outcome can be reversed, so the decision can be challenged and audited. Explainability for accountability is legibility plus a working correction path.

AgencyVisibility

Tests that show it is in place

  • Decision notices include the reason, data source, owner, and path to challenge it.
  • Explanations are tested with the people the decisions are about for whether they understand them and can act on them.

If this is present, check for

If this is missing, expect

Related terms

Legibility Precision laundering Reason substitution Verification tax Signal credibility Irreversible boundary Explainability decoy
Cite this glossary entry · v1.17.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

APA

Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Explainability for accountability. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/explainability-for-accountability

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute. "Explainability for accountability." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/explainability-for-accountability.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute. "Explainability for accountability." Ethotechnics glossary. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/explainability-for-accountability.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_explainability-for-accountability,
  title={Explainability for accountability},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/explainability-for-accountability},
  version={v1.17.1}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Explainability for accountability
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/explainability-for-accountability
ER  -

Authorship

Contact: hello@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Oct 6, 2026
  • Version: v1.17.1

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title and version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive: Wayback Machine history

Latest change

v1.17.1 · Oct 6, 2026 — Editorial revision. Titles are in sentence case. Pasted spec blocks are replaced with prose and worked examples, 79 operational tests are rewritten as pass conditions, 22 origin notes are rewritten or sourced, and unsourced superlatives are cut. No terms were added or removed, and permalinks are unchanged.

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