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Richterich 2018_Tracing controversies.pdf (1.69 MB)

Tracing controversies in hacker communities: ethical considerations for internet research

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 07:29 authored by Annika Richterich
This paper reflects on the ethics of internet research on community controversies. Specifically, it focuses on controversies concerning gendered, social interaction in hacking communities. It addresses the question how internet researchers should treat and represent content that individuals controversially discussed online. While many internet sources are likewise technically public, they may yet suggest distinct privacy expectations on the part of involved individuals. In internet research, ethical decision-making regarding which online primary sources may be, e.g., referenced and quoted or require anonymisation is still ambiguous and contested. Instead of generalisable rules, the context dependence of internet research ethics has been frequently stressed. Given this ambiguity, the paper elaborates on ethical decisions and their implications by exploring the case of a controversial hackerspaces.org mailing list debate. In tracing data across different platforms, it analyses the emerging ethico-methodological challenges.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Information, Communication and Society

ISSN

1369-118X

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

1

Volume

23

Page range

76-93

Department affiliated with

  • Media and Film Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2020-07-10

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2020-07-10

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2020-07-09

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