[Air-L] public private

[elw at stderr.org]

> So .... IF your ARB has looked at the protocol and says "this is
> purely observational, or records, etc. and is untraceable to the
> source, so therefore meets the conditions of the exempt categories
> for observational research" THEN one's pretty much in the clear
> without permission from subjects IF that's what the board agreed to.


We've had precisely *no* trouble getting blanket exceptions from our IRB 
for public weblog data.  Either for citation purposes, or for using 
data-as-data.

They seem to agree with us in thinking that public blogging should be 
covered by the same standards as any other public utterance or 
publication.

Most social science or comm-centric projects should just get IRB 
permission out of habit.  It is a good practice to follow.

I think maybe you are tilting at windmills, a little, too...

--e