The criteria for IRB approval require that there are adequate provisions to protect the privacy of subjects and maintain the confidentiality of data.
Privacy refers to a persons interest in controlling access of others to themselves. Privacy can be thought in terms of having control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of sharing oneself (physically, behaviorally, or intellectually) with others.
Confidentiality is an extension of the concept of privacy, but it refers to the research participant’s understanding of (and agreement to) the ways that their information will be stored and shared.
