Hi as long as the group is not breaking the law that saves them from many possible id's and exposures by the ISP's involved. These ISP under court order or police snooping will give up the info. That's my limited understanding. I would recommend doing it off line. Peter in Ottawa On 6-Jun-08, at 2:30 AM, Mark Marino wrote:

Hi, all,

a colleague of mine told me that a student of hers wants to embark on some research on a politically sensitive issue.

She wants to ask some questions that shouldn't be asked to people who shouldn't be telling (at least on the record). (She is a member of the group she'd be studying) The student is worried that even asking the questions online might endanger her status or the lives of those she wants to interview and survey.

Any recommendation on how this student might conduct this research safely?

I had suggested she might use her blog to let people know about the study, but she would need a blog that couldn't be traced to her.

Someone has suggested IP-masking, but I'm not sure if this is the complete solution. It also doesn't nec. protect her participants. Another person said, keeping your identity private is difficult only to the extent that you believe someone else is trying to discover it. (I understand the comment, but hope to recommend some practical measures.)

Any recommendations (on or off list) are welcome.

Thank you, Mark Marino

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