I think you bring up a good point: that some of the blame going to the researcher really should be directed at the review board itself. It’s their responsibilit

I think you bring up a good point: that some of the blame going to the researcher really should be directed at the review board itself. It’s their responsibility to catch cases like this. The fact that some people who were included in the study without their consent are upset and angry, means they failed this responsibility. I think what you are missing though, is that just because something passed a review board, that does not make it ethical. Review boards, like everything else, will make mistakes.