[Air-L] avatar research ethics

[Steve Jones]

If I may ask: Why? Is it because the avatars somehow "represent"  
humans (or vice versa)? Can we be sure that the "harms" we may  
identify in the case of human subjects are ones that could also harm  
avatars? Might there be avatar-specific "harms" to which we should  
attend? What was behind the Review Board's decision? And how does it  
define "online identity?"

Sj

On Mar 7, 2008, at 3:22 PM, Marj Kibby wrote:

> Dr Marjorie Kibby,
> Senior Lecturer in Communication & Culture
> Faculty of Education and Arts
> The University of Newcastle,  Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia
> Marj.Kibby at newcastle.edu.au
> +61 2 49216604
>>>> Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns at vt.edu> 03/08/08 4:26 AM >>>
> The question was.... "When I take pictures of any random person using
> a building in sl, am I doing human subjects research?'
>
>
> Our Review Board guidelines say that online identities must be  
> afforded the same protection from harm as real world identities.  
> They would see avatars as human subjects.
>
>
> Marj
>
>
>
>
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