This theme is about applying the philosophical roots of ethics to questions about digital data and education. Taking a mixed-methods and transdisciplinary approach to digital challenges and affordances for education (e.g. online learning, critical digital literacy, machine learning, social media, algorithmic decision making) this theme will explore big, small, lively, and thick data application in educational research. Those who engage with this theme will be supported to practically consider the ethics of conducting digital research and representing digital data.