Ethical Use of Informant Internet Data

This article explores the scholarly concerns and conflicts debated by authors in the field of the use of informant internet data in research. The importance lies in informant protection and how to minimize harm to them, a long-standing cornerstone of research practice. It is also a public domain issue as increased calls for data privacy grew because of reported data breach scandals. Although not a new problem, academic researchers and university ethics boards struggle with concerns over data use and are in conflict about managing the problem. This article uses thematic analysis to identify, analyze and interpret patterns of concerns and conflicts over internet data use. Data was obtained from academic publications on these issues. Three themes from this data are discussed with examples demonstrating the types of, and complexity of, scholarly concerns and conflicts. These themes are: the problems of informant data use risks, gaining mass informed consent and the challenges ethics boards face, especially conflicts with researchers over internet data use on projects. This article contributes insights into a widely, and continuously, debated area which is constantly evolving as privacy laws and public awareness place pressure on researchers and ethics boards to address protecting informant public internet data.