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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