Jerry Dallal wrote:
> Since data are being collected from individual human subjects for
> research purposes, IRB review is necessary. The payment might be
> viewed as a finder's fee, which is often considered unethical
> because it compromises informed consent.
No, data are *not* being collected from individual human
subjects for research purposes; they are being collected for other
purposes and then used for research purposes. It is assumed (not
always logically) that collecting data for non-research purposes
is (at least by default) harmless; that is why the pest who phones
you at dinnertime to ask what household cleansers you use does not
have to go through an ethics review board, whereas if you phoned him
and asked exactly the same questions with a scientific motive you
would need that clearance.
Once the data are collected, _use_ for research purposes
does not require permission. A criminologist comparing police
arrest records does not, I think, need consent from everybody
arrested, provided that basic anonymity precautions are taken.
Similarly, an economist looking at the unemployment rate in the US
does not need the consent of every "subject" (ie, every worker
or would-be worker)
Finally, even universities are allowed to gather information
without special permission provided that it is being used for
good purposes such as marketing or quality control. The Development
Office does not need ethics committee clearance to circulate
questionnaires among the students, because that data will be used
for publicity, institutional planning, etc.
It sounds to me as if from *that* point of view at least,
this unsavoury scheme is above board. There is no pretense that this
information is to be used for the advancement of human knowledge;
it's for the higher cause of making a buck. So that's OK...
I get _so_ cynical some days.
-Robert Dawson
.
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