Comment by DyslexicAtheist

just write to irb@umn.edu and ask if this was a) reviewed and b) who approved it. It seems they have anyway violated the Human Research Protection Program Plan.

The researchers should not have done this, but ultimately it's the faculty that must be held accountable for allowing this to happen in the first place. They are a for-profit institution and should not get away with harassing people who are contributing their personal time. So nail them to the proverbial cross but make sure the message is heard by those who slipped up (not the researchers who should have been stopped before it happened).