I thought I remembered a proposal to create some new categorical exemptions from IRB review, one of which was somehow related to studies where you just talk to people. (I've been interviewed by several social scientists and very often their "protocols", consisting exclusively of informal interviews, had clearly been through extensive IRB reviews, which felt super-odd because journalists wouldn't need any ethical review at all in order to carry out exactly the same interview in exactly the same way.)
On the other hand, you clearly can harm people in various ways by or as a result of interviewing them, for example by breaching confidentiality, by being forced to breach confidentiality, or by making them feel bad about themselves by insulting them during the interview or just by bringing up painful and distressing memories. And also it's hard for researchers who aren't doctors to extend the same level of legal protection to what their research subjects tell them:
https://www.socialsciencespace.com/2017/01/social-science-ne...
So maybe one idea would be to create a categorical IRB exemption for studies that combine non-invasive observations, or existing datasets, with interviews not reasonably expected to be distressing to the subjects, and conducted subject to otherwise existing norms on patient confidentiality and medical privacy? (recognizing that limited legal protection for that confidentiality still poses problems for some studies)
(I'm certainly happy to apply the Chesterton's fence principle and learn more about the history of unethical experimentation before seriously advocating this.)
On the other hand, you clearly can harm people in various ways by or as a result of interviewing them, for example by breaching confidentiality, by being forced to breach confidentiality, or by making them feel bad about themselves by insulting them during the interview or just by bringing up painful and distressing memories. And also it's hard for researchers who aren't doctors to extend the same level of legal protection to what their research subjects tell them:
https://www.socialsciencespace.com/2017/01/social-science-ne...
So maybe one idea would be to create a categorical IRB exemption for studies that combine non-invasive observations, or existing datasets, with interviews not reasonably expected to be distressing to the subjects, and conducted subject to otherwise existing norms on patient confidentiality and medical privacy? (recognizing that limited legal protection for that confidentiality still poses problems for some studies)
(I'm certainly happy to apply the Chesterton's fence principle and learn more about the history of unethical experimentation before seriously advocating this.)