Domestic Violence Organizations Online : Risks, Ethical Dilemmas, and Liability Issues

Domestic violence service organizations are increasingly using the World Wide Web to provide information, secure resources, promote advocacy campaigns, and, more recently, to provide direct services online. The use of the Internet, however, creates potential risks, ethical dilemmas, and liability challenges in online service delivery. The paper outlines the risk and liability issues related to use of the Internet and suggests risk-management guidelines to protect organizations from liability. It also discusses the lack of empirical research in online service delivery and suggests research approaches for further understanding of the use of online services.