Police investigate lost iPhone

Greg Sandoval and Declan McCullagh of CNET report that California police are investigating how the prototype iPhone lost in a bar ended up in the possession of the tech site Gizmodo.

Sandoval and McCullagh write, “CNET has not been able to confirm whether the investigation is targeting Gizmodo.com, its source who reportedly found the iPhone in a bar, or both. Apple acknowledged that the lost device is their property and asked for its return; Gizmodo has since said that it has returned the device.

“Late Friday, Bloomberg reported that it spoke to Gaby Darbyshire, Gawker’s chief operating officer, and she said that law enforcement officials had not spoken with anyone at the company. The wire service also reported that a San Mateo County prosecutor would not confirm an investigation but said that, ‘if there is a case that is investigated and able to be submitted for prosecution, it will be handled by this office.’

“The tale of a lost iPhone may sound trivial, but Apple goes to great lengths to protect the secrecy of its products, and the company has not been afraid to take aggressive legal measures in the past. It filed a lawsuit against a Mac enthusiast Web site, for instance, to unearth information about a leak. A state appeals court ruled in favor of the Web sites.”

Read more here.