The start of the Covid-19 pandemic saw a range of responses from universities on how to handle primary data collection as field work had to be cancelled.  Some banned all primary data collection from participants, including Zoom interviews and other non-contact methods.  Many directed their UG and Masters students to conduct only desk-based or literature review based dissertations.  In attempting to find strategies which enabled research collaborations to continue, and students to gain experience in primary data collection, Dr Helen Campbell Pickford converted from nearly two decades of exclusively field work based research methods to exploring what data can be collected online.  This raised a host of questions about the ethics of collecting data without personal contact, and during public emergencies, which she will explore in this session.