This is really interesting. Not on the same level, but I applied for a job a few weeks back, a work-from-home sort of deal, contracting to a company who tested software etc for other, larger companies. The job was rating landing pages from a particular search engine in relation to the search, and as much as they explained the criteria (authenticity, scope, accuracy, freshness, etc) it still seemed really subjective. I'd rate a page as "fair" for being potentially relevant but probably not what the user was looking for, and I'd be told that it should probably be "good" because it was a reliable source, etc. Same sort of 'objective' system I'm getting from this essay.
It's interesting that the same tactic, for want of a better word, is used by both. I'm not sure yet, waiting to hear back from the company. Need to go through a round of examinations of the same sort, which is bound to be a whole heap of fun.