The article discusses the ethical issues surrounding qualitative research on internet communities, particularly focusing on the challenges of informed consent and privacy. Internet communities, such as mailing lists, chat rooms, and discussion boards, provide rich sources of qualitative data for health researchers, allowing them to understand the experiences and views of patients and consumers. However, these communities can be perceived as private spaces, and researchers must carefully consider whether their activities are intrusive and whether informed consent is required. The article highlights the complexity of determining the level of privacy and vulnerability within these communities, emphasizing the need for researchers and institutional review boards to involve community members in the decision-making process. It also addresses the importance of protecting confidentiality and respecting intellectual property rights. The authors recommend that researchers and institutional review boards carefully consider these ethical issues before conducting research on internet communities and provide a framework for addressing them.The article discusses the ethical issues surrounding qualitative research on internet communities, particularly focusing on the challenges of informed consent and privacy. Internet communities, such as mailing lists, chat rooms, and discussion boards, provide rich sources of qualitative data for health researchers, allowing them to understand the experiences and views of patients and consumers. However, these communities can be perceived as private spaces, and researchers must carefully consider whether their activities are intrusive and whether informed consent is required. The article highlights the complexity of determining the level of privacy and vulnerability within these communities, emphasizing the need for researchers and institutional review boards to involve community members in the decision-making process. It also addresses the importance of protecting confidentiality and respecting intellectual property rights. The authors recommend that researchers and institutional review boards carefully consider these ethical issues before conducting research on internet communities and provide a framework for addressing them.