the.com/watchdog
A creature paid to bark at power, occasionally allowed to bite.
means A person or organization that monitors others to expose wrongdoing or enforce standards.
from Literal 1600s term for a dog guarding property; Shakespeare used it before regulators ever did, and by the 1800s it leapt the fence into politics and the press.
Real teeth optionalMany watchdogs can investigate but not punish.
Press nicknameJournalism is dubbed the fourth estate's watchdog.
Tech meaningA timer that reboots a frozen, unresponsive computer.