Prosecutors Cite Confidential Informant in iPhone Probe

"California prosecutors investigating Gizmodo's purchase of a prototype iPhone have offered a new argument for keeping details of the probe a secret: Public disclosure could compromise "the identity of an informer."

"The claim, made in a court filing Thursday, is the first indication that police cultivated an inside source prior to raiding the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen, whose employer paid $5,000 for a prototype 4G iPhone found at a Redwood City bar.

"Wired.com, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Time and other news outlets have asked a California judge to unseal the search warrant affidavit that led to the raid on Chen's Fremont, California, home last month. We argued that under California law, the public has a right to see the documents that led San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford V. Cretan to approve the search. A hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court has been set for Friday."

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