As cyberspace rapidly becomes a rich medium for communication and the number of users increases, it is becoming an attractive target for social and behavioral research. The ease with which the cyberspace medium allows for these types of studies also raises issues about the ethical and legal dimensions of such research. The ability of a researcher to anonymously or pseudonymously record interactions on a site without the knowledge of the participants, the complexities of obtaining informed consent, the over-rated expectation, if not the illusion of privacy in cyberspace, and the blurred distinction between public and private domains fuel questions about the interpretation and applicability of current policies for governing the conduct of social and behavioral research involving human subjects.

To promote discussion of these issues, the AAAS Program on Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law, in collaboration with the NIH Office for Protection from Research Risks, convened a workshop on conducting Internet research involving human subjects. A report of the workshop was prepared by AAAS staff.