The
Internet has become an important form of communication in modern society, with
a forecast of 500 million online globally by the year 2003. Its increased use and accessibility have led
to a burgeoning of cyber communities, where people of like minds and common
interests transcend geographical barriers and communicate with one another on a
range of subjects, some trivial, some controversial, and some intensely
private.
The vast amount of social and behavioral information potentially available
on the Internet has made it a prime target for researchers wishing to study the
dynamics of human interactions and their consequences in this virtual medium.
Researchers can potentially collect data from widely dispersed populations at
relatively low cost and in less time than similar efforts in the physical
world. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of Internet studies,
ranging from surveys to naturalistic observation. Examples of recent research
include the Carnegie Mellon Human Computer Interaction Institute's
investigation of the social and psychological effects of Internet use at home and
a University of Pittsburgh researcher's study on Internet addiction.
New
Internet research offers great potential for improving scholarship in a wide
variety of fields and for assessing the very practical impacts of an
increasingly critical technology. Indeed, this potential was recognized in the
August 1998 report of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee,
when it recommended that the federal government expand its research portfolio
on the "social and economic impacts of information technology diffusion
and adoption."
The ease with which the cyberspace medium facilitates these
types of studies also raises issues about the ethical and legal dimensions of
such research and the norms and policies that have traditionally governed its
conduct. The ability of both researchers and their subjects to assume anonymous
or pseudonymous identities online, the complexities of obtaining informed
consent, the often exaggerated expectations, if not the illusion, of privacy in
cyberspace, and the blurred distinction between public and private domains fuel
questions about the interpretation and applicability of current policies
governing the conduct of social and behavioral research involving human
subjects.
The Office for Protection from Research Risks (OPRR), the agency
responsible for oversight of federally funded research by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services involving human subjects, has received inquiries
from researchers and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) members seeking
guidance regarding research in this area. Many IRBs recognize their
unfamiliarity with the nature of Internet research and their lack of technical
expertise needed to review related research protocols. To both protect human
subjects and promote innovative and scientifically sound research, it is important
to consider the ethical, legal, and technical issues associated with this
burgeoning area of research. Researchers, IRBs, and policy makers need to know
the questions to ask as the first step in developing appropriate responses.
To
contribute to that effort, AAAS and OPRR convened a workshop on “Ethical and
Legal Aspects of Human Subjects Research in Cyberspace” in June 1999. The
workshop was intended to explore the relevant issues and lay the groundwork for
further involvement in these matters by professional and online communities,
research institutions, and government agencies. Participants were drawn from
OPRR and an array of fields, including social science, ethics, law, and
computer science. Over the course of one-and-a-half days, they fleshed out the
relevant issues in online research and considered the role of IRBs. This report
and its action, research and education agenda are products of the workshop.
Frankel, M. S., & Siang, S. (1999).
Ethical and legal aspects of human subjects research on the Internet. Published by AAAS online.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario