On 25-26 April, terrorism researchers will gather at Swansea University to discuss the ethics involved in conducting Internet-mediated terrorism research. Following on from the Cyberterrorism Project’s Terrorism and Social Media conference in Swansea in 2017, where VOX-Pol coordinator Professor Maura Conway’s keynote address spoke of the need for consideration of a variety of ethical issues, this workshop – convened by Professor Conway, Professor Stuart Macdonald of Swansea University and Dr Anthony Lemieux of Georgia State University – will discuss how the unique challenges posed by researching terrorism online can be mitigated through research ethics.
In total, over the two-day workshop, 12 researchers and practitioners from around the world will speak on the foundational concepts of Internet-mediated research; ethically collecting, storing and sharing data; researcher responsibility; and researcher welfare.
Through a continued, focused discussion, this workshop hopes to produce:
- a deeper understanding of variations and similarities in ethical dimensions of accessing, analysing, storing, and sharing violent extremist media content;
- policies and best practices that have been developed to safeguard the well-being of researchers and analysts who work with violent extremist media content; and
- a working document that will capture the collective experience and wisdom of members of this initial project team, along with the broader network of scholars, students, analysts, and practitioners who have varying levels of experience and perspectives on dealing with the core ethical issues at hand.
At the end of the workshop, a scoping document will be produced that reflects the recommendations identified throughout the discussions, breakout panels and feedback sessions. This document will be made available through the Cyberterrorism Project, VOX-Pol and Dr Lemieux’s team.
For further information on the Ethics Workshop, please contact David Mair at D.R.Mair@swansea.ac.uk.