Data-ethics debate

Worked CER on a parallel case (model only, different scenario)

This models the CER format for a DIFFERENT study so you can copy the structure, not the answer. Here the team runs a two-week fitness-tracker study that logs each volunteer's daily step count, and the ethical question is about sharing that data with an outside app, not about today's sensor plan.

Claim: A student step-count study should not share raw, name-linked activity data with any outside fitness app, and should share only aggregated, de-identified results (for example, the class average per day).

Evidence: Privacy standards for personal health information, such as informed-consent and purpose-limitation principles, say that data collected for one stated purpose should not be handed to a third party for a different purpose without fresh consent. Many free fitness apps also reserve the right to reuse uploaded data for advertising or resale.

Reasoning: A daily step log tied to a name can reveal patterns about a person's routine, health, and location over time. Sending that raw log to an outside app exposes volunteers to uses they never agreed to and that the study does not need. Sharing only an aggregated class average still lets the team report a result while keeping any single volunteer unidentifiable, so the benefit is kept and the risk is removed.

Link to my data plan: I will store step counts under codes (Volunteer 1, Volunteer 2), keep the code-to-name key on a separate sheet that only I hold, report results as group averages, and upload nothing to any external app.

Two questions:

1. Does a volunteer have the right to withdraw their data after the two weeks are over, and how would I remove it cleanly?

2. If a partner team asks for our raw numbers to combine with theirs, what would make that transfer acceptable?

Reflection: A teammate argued that uploading to a real fitness app would make our charts look more professional. I understand the appeal, but I think the volunteers only agreed to a class study, so reusing their data elsewhere would break that agreement. Aggregating first is what keeps the study honest.