Researchers designing online studies should consider the following with respect to participant protections:

• Ensure the procedures fulfill the principles of voluntary participation and informed consent, making the process clear and transparent online.
• Maintain confidentiality and data security, including informing participants about potential risks related to third-party sites, data interception, and data storage beyond the study timeframe.
• Prevent re-identification of participants by using data anonymization and limiting personal data collection to protect privacy.
• Verify that participants are actual human users and not AI entities through methods like CAPTCHA.
• Comply with terms of use of online platforms and inform participants about these terms and how they may affect participation.
• Inform participants of risks and benefits, allow them to ask questions, and ensure data is securely stored and only accessed by authorized personnel.
• Consider additional protections when collecting sensitive or illegal activity data online.
• For studies involving children under 13, comply with regulations such as COPPA to protect children's privacy.

These considerations collectively support autonomy, beneficence, and minimization of risk in online research participant protection.