The New Normal? Revisiting Ethical Issues in Internet Research

The use of the Internet as a research tool or venue has grown exponentially, and with such growth, continued attention to an array of ethical issues is necessary. One of the long-standing ethical issues in Internet research revolves around privacy and identifiability. This paper will contextualize the current state of Internet research and its ongoing ethical considerations with attention to a new "default of identifiability." It describes issues related to Internet-related human subjects research, though it is not intended to align with regulatory guidance. Instead, the paper seeks to stimulate further discussion across disciplines about the ethics of contemporary Internet research.