A common method for protecting individuals is obscuring their identity via pseudonyms etc. Isn't this sort of the function an avatar plays? Assuming you do not divulge the real world identity, isn't anonymizing or otherwise protecting avatars sort of redundant? I am all for leaning on the side of caution, but either avatars are already pseudonyms for people or the avatars aren't real and should not be covered by IRB. I can't see a case for them actually being human, though I am very much up for hearing one... Thoughts? -Gordon Carlson -PhD student, UIC On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 6:04 PM, Steve Jones <sjones@uic.edu> wrote:
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@newcastle.edu.au +61 2 49216604
Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns@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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