Online research in Russia – alive, not dead: major projects and experts in a single bound

Conducting an extensive search for new books dealing with ‘Big Data’ and Ethics in Russia and beyond, we have, unfortunately, found only a few. Data-driven research ideas are changing at such a rapid speed that even fresh ideas need to be constantly ‘refreshed.’ For just this reason, the editors of the special issue of the Russian Journal of Communication have decided on a new format for book reviews in this journal. Focusing our attention on one specific and recent publication of interest, the editors of this special issue have asked one of the editors of that publication and one outside reviewer to address the following questions of interest to our special issue: How do we evaluate this new publication in the context of the new era of ‘Big Data’? What are the key features of Russian online research in this new era of ‘Big Data’? What ethical problems are raised by this new publication and how are these dealt with in this publication?