Police entered the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen late Friday evening, seizing a variety of computers, servers, and other electronic items as evidence possibly “used as the means of committing a felony,” related to the recent prototype iPhone incident. Chen was responsible for the posting of details relating to a prototype fourth-generation iPhone that the site reportedly purchased for $5,000 from an unknown party who supposedly “found” the phone at a Redwood City bar, after it was “lost” by an Apple engineer.
Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gizmodo owner Gawker Media, has claimed the search warrant was invalid due to a California law protecting journalists, however, there has been speculation that Gizmodo’s purchase of the phone may have itself been illegal, with the seller guilty of theft for failure to return the phone to its rightful owner, and Gizmodo of purchasing and receiving stolen property. While it is likely that Apple had contacted the authorities about the lost prototype device, the company could not have been directly responsible for the raid on Chen’s home.
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