Which action helps ensure an auditable record of interview-related activities?

• A. Share the raw interview widely with staff for transparency.
• B. Delete recordings after a short period.
• C. Leave metadata unrecorded to protect privacy.
• D. Preserve in secure format, document chain of custody, timestamp, and back up copies.

Answer: (D)

Maintaining an auditable interview record requires integrity, traceability, and recoverability. Keeping the recording in a secure format protects it from tampering. Documenting the chain of custody shows every person who handled the file and when, creating clear accountability. Timestamps provide an exact chronology of actions, and backing up copies ensures there is a durable, recoverable record for audits or investigations. These elements together create a trustworthy trail that others can rely on.

Others options undermine this trust: sharing the raw interview widely can expose privacy issues and make it hard to verify the record’s origin, deleting recordings eliminates verifiable evidence, and leaving metadata unrecorded hides essential context needed to reconstruct what happened.