The following criticisms of research ethics and the increasing formalization and standardization of ethical measures through ethics committees and required reviews can be noted:

1. Modifications to research design, which often need to be adjusted in the open and flexible ethnographic field, must undergo additional ethical reviews. This can be challenging during time- and budget-constrained fieldwork and may lead to institutional overregulation.
2. Some ethics committees lack specific expertise in ethnographic research, making it difficult for them to assess and decide on uncertain field situations from an external perspective. Additionally, a risk-benefit assessment paradigm has been established, which contradicts the participatory approach of ethnographic research.
3. Anonymization and pseudonymization are sometimes not feasible in ethnography for various reasons and are not always meaningful for specifically targeted topics (see article on Anonymization and Pseudonymization).
4. Informed consent cannot always anticipate or fully ensure that research participants are fully aware of all the consequences of the research, which is often difficult to verify (see article on Informed Consent).

The ethical guidelines, reflection questionnaires, and the CARE principles serve as important reference points and provide support for research data management. However, they do not offer perfect solutions for every ethically challenging situation encountered in the field and may sometimes impose rigid regulations.

Since social and cultural anthropology is a reflective discipline, researchers have an inherent obligation to continuously engage with ethical questions – before, during, and after the research process, as well as throughout the research data management lifecycle.

It is essential to take responsibility, consult with experienced mentors, and make context-specific, independent decisions. Data ethics is inherently linked to research ethics, and continuous self-reflection should extend beyond the research setting to every aspect of research data management.