Another method that goes against the requirements of informed consent and that can invade participants’ privacy is covert research. This type of secret or disguised research is rare and should be the exception rather than the rule.
Like deception, covert research requires strong justification and a demonstration of the clear benefits of the chosen method over any other approach. Matters of social significance must be addressed in the research. Covert research should be avoided in principle, unless:
- it is the only method by which information can be gathered;
- and/or when access to the usual sources of information is obstructed by those in power;
- Circumstances that may lend support to using covert methods include settings where research participants change their behaviour because they know they are being studied.
Examples of this involve the research into criminal behaviour, such as drug-dealing, human trafficking, child abuse or more mundane crimes such as tax avoidance or benefits fraud. In such cases, any attempt to obtain informed consent in advance will of course seriously compromise the value of research. Even when a research topic does not involve activities that are formally defined as criminal, it may involve investigation of anti-social activities (such as playground bullying, binge drinking, xenophobic name-calling, football hooliganism, insensitive treatment of the handicapped, etc.) in situations where the research cannot be effective if the research subjects are formally notified in advance of the topic of the research, asked to sign consent forms, etc.
Please note
Researchers, however, enter risky terrain if they intend to observe illegal activities where covert investigations by appropriate authorities may already be underway (as when drug cartels or human trafficking are under investigation or paramilitary groups, terrorists or organised gangs are under surveillance). By accident, a researcher may become a witness of or even an indirect accomplice to criminal activity and may eventually be involved in obstructing justice if they fail to report illegal activities to authorities.
Informed consent should be sought after the event wherever possible. Here the risk researchers face is, of course, that some participants may not give their consent retrospectively, which would mean that some or all of the data collected could not be used.
Covert research may be used in settings that pose no particular risk to participants or researchers if the anonymity of those being observed is safeguarded. Observing fully public settings may therefore not require consent. Such research must be conducted with respect for privacy:
- no personal data are collected (data are fully anonymised at the point and time of collection);
- data are collected unobtrusively and in accordance with local cultural values; and
- data are collected only in situations where people being studied can reasonably expect to be observed by strangers.