Ethical challenges in digital research on the far-right continuum

Conducting digital research on the far-right continuum (covering a broad array of actors further to the right from what is generally considered the mainstream right), evokes several serious ethical challenges. This becomes particularly poignant in cases whose research subjects hold illiberal, extreme, and potentially hostile views toward the researcher. In this chapter, we critically reflect on these challenges in relation to current ethics frameworks of online research in Northern Europe – specifically in Sweden and Norway. The analysis entails two steps. First, we scrutinize the key concepts and ways of problematizing the issues that are present in the ethical guidelines in the two countries. Second, we zoom in on the ascribed position and safety of the researcher, and the management of risks related to (online) harassment and threats. Our analysis shows that concern for the safety of scholars is more solidly embedded in the Norwegian ethics guidelines when compared to the Swedish framework. In conclusion, we call for increased institutional responsibility toward scholars undertaking “risky” research, in which broader understanding of “risk” and “harm” should be addressed. In addition, we argue for moving beyond the “box-ticking” nature of ethics vetting at the start of the research project and for embracing instead the perspective of continuously adapting these processes to the individual necessities arising from the fieldwork of each project.