Questa volta abbiamo cercato: Is it normal for an academic research study to require participants’ Social Security numbers?
Someone posted on a subreddit related to a hobby of mine, and they were looking for participants in a study related to that thing. I got in touch (on a different account), we arranged a time for an interview, and they emailed me a two page PDF consent form. This form asks for my Social Security number and I’m unsure if I should proceed.
Ed ecco le risposte:
Oh fuck no. Do not do that.
Sounds mega dodgy to me. I’m a psychologist and when I research, we deliberately record no identifying information from participants. Usually age and gender and not much else, although it does vary.
I would at minimum ask for more information about why this is needed. You also want to consider how this data will be stored afterwards – we are usually required to keep anything potentially risky like this on encrypted disks.
I wouldn’t do it.
Also, any research should have an IRB number on it. This is required by law. It’s an ethics comittee. If it’s there, call and complain thats unnesecasry. If it’s not you should report the person doing the study to the FDA (PM and I can help, I am a reg and compliance specialist). It’s good to be wary and even if they ask, you can always say no. Even if it just doesn’t feel right (maybe even especially if you have a bad feeling).
Edit to add – if it’s bc of payment, they dont have to have your SSN for that. They can issue a 1099 and you can report it.
2nd edit – so much of this makes me wary. Please feel free to PM me if you want. Stay safe and thanks for being willing to do research and ask questions!
Not normal
Are you getting paid?