This may be a bit off topic but there really needs to be a hard line drawn on what information can be collected. The idea of recording an interview for the sake of empirical analysis is creepy as hell and I'm a bit worried anyone would think that is an appropriate thing to do.
Could you maybe explain your reasoning for that one?
I'd be for much stronger data controls, and that might rule something like that out just as collateral damage. Fair enough, it's not a very strong principle if you violate it the minute something you approve of comes along.
That said, I'm vastly more creeped out by the idea of someone collecting email addresses and looking up linkedin profiles for recruiting, or looking you up on facebook when you apply for a job, than I am with the idea of someone recording an interview. The latter is in a limited context, where you expect to be examined anyway. The former is an intrusion on your private life to one degree or another.
I'm not saying, by the way, that it's an acceptable thing to do behind someone's back - that would be extremely scummy.
I just don't really see the problem with running something past a computer. Would it make a difference to you if there was a typist there and you ran the transcript past the computer? Is it just the emotional ick of it being your voice they have on record?
Edit: Is it the possibility of mass data collection? I can see that being creepy with things like car number-plates because there the difference in speed and ability enables things like continual tracking of individuals day to day lives. But I'm not sure how that would be a concern here.
Sure, there are situations in which I believe there should be a certain expectation of privacy. Personal conversations like interviews are one of those situations. If I put something on facebook or linkedin I understand that there is a certain level of privacy I am giving up, it's a tradeoff many of us make for a service. Also, I have control over what I expose about myself on the internet, a recorded conversation that stays with an interviewer is not data I can control. If I have a one on one conversation with another individual or individual(s), I don't feel I should have to worry that what I'm saying is being recorded for analysis later on.
