Accountability, for Data Stewardship in the Cloud Definition (A4CLOUD Definition)
Accountability for an organisation consists of accepting responsibility for data with which it is entrusted in a cloud environment, for its use of the data from the time it is collected until when the data is destroyed (including onward transfer to and from third parties). It involves the commitment to norms, explaining and demonstrating compliance to stakeholders and remedying any failure to act properly.
Source:
[A4CLOUD Conceptual Framework]