Abstract

Traditionally, accountability was primarily designed to hold public bodies accountable to citizens. However, as global corporations continue to shape policy and society, these organizations must be accountable to citizens in a proactive manner as well. Therefore, this article proposes an expansion of accountability to include both public and private organizations. Drawing from political and economic studies, we propose holistic principles to increase social legitimacy in both procedural (regular) and substantive (deep) forms: responsibility, transparency, answerability, and participation. To illustrate those principles, we examine two case studies, Google and Meta, and two crucial fronts, data transfers and data market power. Through qualitative and empirical analyses, we evaluate how big tech companies are being held accountable by public authorities and society, highlighting both current developments and key limitations. The article paves the road to accountability studies and new economic theories that focus on deepening social orientation and increasing citizens' participation in business management.