Digital Accountability: The untapped potential of participation when using digital technology in humanitarian action

The paper examines the interlinkages between digital technologies, and affected people’s participation, and accountability. It analyses the potential of using technologies to strengthen participation and accountability in humanitarian action and discusses its dilemma, with a focus on two key questions: • How do humanitarian organisations consider the use of digital technology to enhance the participation of and accountability to affected populations? • How do humanitarian organisations take account and hold themselves responsible when using digital technologies? Similarly, how can affected people hold organisations accountable when using digital technologies? This research paper aimed at primarily focusing on German humanitarian action. However, as only a few German organisations were able to speak about digital accountability in humanitarian action, the scope of the research shifted towards a broader, more international context.