watchdog

noun

1. A guard dog.
2. (figuratively)An individual or group that monitors the activities of another entity (such as an individual, corporation, non-profit group, or governmental organization) on behalf of the public to ensure that entity does not behave illegally or unethically.

   “Governments must "outline how they will reassure passengers that it will be as safe as possible to travel by public transport", according to industry watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch.”

   “The UK’s data watchdog is seeking clarification from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta about parental controls on its popular virtual reality headset, as campaigners warned that it could breach an online children’s safety code.”

3. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis)Ellipsis of watchdog timer.

verb

1. To perform a function analogous to that of a watchdog; to guard and warn.
2. To be continuously reset by a watchdog timer.