Screenshots in human communication research: Protecting privacy in light of law, ethics and user expectations

The screenshot feature has offered human communication researchers a way to document participants’ digital lives without technical expertise nor compromising ecological validity. Despite its widespread utility, there have been limited remarks on the perils of the screenshot feature as a methodological tool to capture the digital world. This article reflects on human communication research which has leveraged the screenshot feature. In doing so, I focus on bystanders , or non-consenting participants whose data are implicated by researchers’ use of the screenshot feature. Considering relevant US law, internationally recognized ethics frameworks, and user expectations across digital platforms from which screenshots are collected, this article offers guidelines for researchers and policymakers about usage of and building formal restrictions around the screenshot feature, respectively. I argue usage of the screenshot feature in human communication research must (1) obscure sensitive and extraneous participant data, (2) recognize platform-specific user expectations, and (3) protect bystander privacy.