Sorry if this is a double, I wasn't sure if it went through! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Monica Barratt <monbarratt@gmail.com> Date: 28-Mar-2007 10:51 Subject: Re: [Air-l] FW: reasonable security with email interviewing research participants To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Cc: bodhi@nznet.gen.nz, Sarah Stewart <sarahs@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