[Air-l] reasonable security with email interviewing research participants

[Monica Barratt]

Sorry if this is a double, I wasn't sure if it went through!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Monica Barratt <monbarratt at gmail.com>
Date: 28-Mar-2007 10:51
Subject: Re: [Air-l] FW: reasonable security with email interviewing
research participants
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Cc: bodhi at nznet.gen.nz, Sarah Stewart <sarahs at tekotago.ac.nz>

Hi Catherine, Sarah and the AoIR List

I am a PhD Candidate (at the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin
University (Perth), living in Melbourne, Australia - see
http://db.ndri.curtin.edu.au/staff.asp?persid=650). My project examines
online 'party drug' discussion, using a combination of observation, online
surveys and online interviews.

The issue of how to secure online interviews is something I've been
grappling with recently too. My issues are a bit different to yours but I
thought it might be good to discuss them on this list, should other
researchers be able to comment on their own experiences with online
interview security.

In the case of my project, discussion of the topic matter has the potential
to incriminate the interviewee, if they were to talk openly about their own
illegal drug-related behaviours without concealing their identity or without
encrypting the content. Ethics approval was granted for me to set up a
process whereby communication was encrypted or the participant's identity
was adequately concealed. Obviously both anonymity and encryption would be
the best option, legally and ethically.

Originally I was going to offer email and/or instant messaging as a platform
for the online interviews, and to investigate encryption for both. This
became quite complex, and I have now settled for using only instant
messaging. The population I will be interviewing will generally be familiar
with IM so this was seen as a good way cutting down the information required
by interested participants to set up the process.

I have put together an Encryption Guide to assist participants in setting up
secure IM to use both while completing my interview and within their normal
IM use. I have consulted with some of the academics who created the open
source IM encryption software Off-the-record, and have (hopefully) skilled
myself up enough to assist interviewees in setting things up.

I will begin interviewing in June/July. I have tried to forsee problems,
such as people not being prepared to spend time sorting out encryption,
which may just not be a priority for them or may be beyond their computer
literacy. The Guide offers easier (less secure but still ethically sound)
options to protect the participant's identity. I am aware that there are
options for encrypted online chat embedded in webpages which mean the
participant would not need to download anything - I believe SPSS has such a
package but it is quite expensive. One of my guiding principles throughout
this project is to interact with participants and to give back knowledge and
skills that may be useful to them - so providing this information that they
can use outside of the research project is in fact part of the methodology.

If anyone on the AoIR list has experience in this area and has the time to
review my Encryption Guide, I'd be most grateful for comments and suggests
on this draft. Also, you can use the guide to set up encryption for your own
IM use, and you are welcome to test your set-up with me anytime (this will
help prepare me for the interviewees!). You can download it from here:
http://www.savefile.com/files/585220

Thanks
monica


Monica Barratt
PhD Student
National Drug Research Institute