iPhone News Updated

Media tells Apple to unseal iPhone warrant

Media tells Apple to unseal iPhone warrant

Major news organizations are going to bat for a tech blogger who was the subject of a police raid after he posted details about a new iPhone prototype.

Dozens of media outlets filed a court document on Wednesday asking a judge to make Apple unseal the search warrant affidavit it used to raid Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s home and car on April 23 and seize his computers.

Court documents spelling out the legal reasons for a search are usually made public within 10 days, but the affidavit remains sealed.

The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, CNET News, the Los Angeles Times, Wired.com, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the First Amendment Coalition have all joined the court filing.

Police raided Chen’s home after Gizmodo, a tech blog owned by Gawker Media, posted pictures and details of the iPhone 4G prototype. Gizmodo reportedly obtained the prototype device after paying a college student who found it in a California bar $5,000. An Apple engineer accidentally left it behind.

Gizmodo returned the phone upon Apple’s request.

The search warrant - different from the affidavit in that it only outlines what is being sought by the warrant - said police were looking for anything related to a suspected felony.

Under California law, it is considered theft if you find a lost item and don’t make an effort to return it. No charges have yet been laid.

Chen’s lawyer has argued that the raid should have never taken place, as California law protects journalists from such searches.

A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday to address the motion.

[Thanks: http://technology.canoe.ca]

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