Privacy and ethical implications of the use of social media during a volcanic eruption: Some initial thoughts

In a relatively new area of research for crisis management, this working paper presents a preliminary discussion of some of the privacy and ethical implications surrounding the use of social media in the event of a crisis. The paper uses the chaos caused by the eruptions of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 to contextualise the analysis. It begins by presenting two case studies of the use of social media by members of the public and the aviation industry during the crisis caused by the ash plume. The paper then proceeds to briefly highlight some select ethical and privacy implications stemming from the use of social media such as privacy infringements and inequality. The paper concludes by briefly summarising the findings of the paper and considering next steps for future research in this area.