ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET

The Internet has become an important form of communication in modern society, with a forecast of 500 million online globally by the year 2003. 1 Its increased use and accessibility have led to a burgeoning of cyber communities, where people of like minds and common interests transcend geographical barriers and communicate with one another on a range of subjects, some trivial, some controversial, and some intensely private.2 The vast amount of social and behavioral information potentially available on the Internet has made it a prime target for researchers wishing to study the dynamics of human interactions and their consequences in this virtual medium. Researchers can potentially collect...